A War Horse In Equestria
by RevenantReaper337
Summary: An alternative to HiE fics. Midnight, a knight's steed and veteran of numerous battles during the hundred years war faces her demise at the battle of Crecy only to find that fate has other plans in store, including a chance to start anew in another world. But can a mare who knows nothing but conflict adapt to a peaceful land ruled by pastel ponies, or will it prove too much?
1. Chapter 1: A Knight's Vow

**Authors note:**

**Well this is a bit of a departure for me considering my normal fare, but after stumbling across the MLP archives on this site and reading several stories, I've had a rash of inspiration for various scenarios set within the FiM universe. This particular story has taken shape more rapidly than the others and was inspired by the deluge of identikit 'human in Equestria' stories that, other than a few well written exceptions, tend to feel kind of stale and predictable. Because of this, I got to thinking about alternatives and I realised that the blatantly obvious was right there in front of me. Why not drop a equine from Earth in to Equestria, give them enough sentience and anatomical changes to interact with the locals, and see what happens. In this case, said horse is a war charger straight from the fields of battle in the hundred years war, and a prime candidate for culture shock when presented with multi coloured ponies that live in a remarkably human like fashion. In any case, please read, review if you wish, and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer:**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Hasbro. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me.**

'_Thoughts__'_

_Flashbacks and inflections on words_

"Speech"

* * *

**A Knight's Vow**

**Crecy, France . 1346**

The two armies faced each other across a veritable no man's land of churned mud and grass, the site of many a previous battle. On the one side in disciplined formations lay the English army under the command of his majesty Prince Edward the third. To the rear, the archers and artillerymen with longbow and trebuchet at the ready. To the fore, the steadfast infantry standing in row upon row of sword, spear, and mace; blocks of pike men among them to repel the inevitable enemy cavalry charge. And to the wings lay the crown jewel of any army; the cavalrymen and armour clad knights of the realm, mounted upon their trusted steeds and brandishing steel lances and swords. On the other side, the French army were similarly arranged. However, the hillock provided a terrain advantage upon which their own archers would capitalise. Atop his own steed and surrounded by mounted knights of the realm, Edward spied his adversary across the field. Standing tall amongst his fellow Frenchmen at the crest of a hillock was the aristocrat known as Philip of Valois, a proud and noble leader tasked with evicting the English forces from this particular corner of his glorious nation. He quickly mounted his own horse and turned to stare out across the plain.

The air was filled with tense silence as both sides waited with baited breath. The only sounds to be heard were the faint clink of armour plate and the impatient trot as the knights and cavalrymen reined in their mounts. Among one such cluster of English knights errant, one such horse - a mare - shifted nervously in place; the armour plates that covered her weighing down on her body, and the pre battle tension weighing down on her mind. Her name was Midnight, a given considering her dark colouration, and she was to be the replacement mount for the knight who now sat on her saddle with his visor down and lance at the ready. Midnight was no stranger to battle, this would be her twenty first since arriving in france via Normandy, nor did she fear death anymore. No, her fears were centred around the man upon her back, for he would be her third knight since the beginning of this campaign.

Her first had been a rather portly knight who needed a replacement for his thoroughbred steed which had suffered from a debilitating illness. He had visited the Wiltshire farm upon which she worked, pulling wagons and ploughing the fields. He seemed to have taken a liking to her powerful, muscular frame. Being a somewhat ignorant sort, he failed to realise that the 'Stallion built like an Ox' was in fact a mare. The farmer from whom he had bought her didn't bother to correct him, nor did any one else who didn't wish to be on the receiving end of his lethal temper. Her baptism of fire had come in Normandy, where the petrified mare clad in heavy armour and bellowing overweight noble had cannoned through French lines twice, cutting a bloody swathe through all opposition. Truly, the battlefield was such a violent contrast with the sedate pace of the farm. The adrenaline rush of charging through enemy ranks quickly became an addiction; to run like the wind and rend all who stood in her wake. Though she disliked the fat man's boisterous manner, she was grateful to him for introducing her to a world she would never have known. He had died during a skirmish about a month later, somehow falling off of her and rolling into a brook where his heavy armour and considerable bulk weighed him down and causing him to drown.

The second had been a lanky rather reedy fellow with a cleft chin and a paranoid manner. She couldn't remember his name, but she did remember the excess overlapping armour plates he insisted on wearing over his own suit of armour to protect him from missile fire, and how they weighed her down so badly. Were she any other horse, she probably would have collapsed under the strain. Instead, she bore the brunt as any warrior should and pushed herself harder still. It was somewhat ironic that the knight in question had the misfortune to take a crossbow bolt to the eye through his visor during a charge; one of the few places not covered by his precious extra armour. She had carried him throughout the battle and hadn't even realised he was dead up until she had gotten back to allied lines and his squires had rolled the corpse off of her back. After that, she had acquired an unlucky reputation among the soldiers and stable hands. They called her the 'Black Widow', for any who mounted the dark coated mare in battle was destined to die. None of the knights searching for a replacement steed would think of looking at her twice, and she couldn't blame them for their paranoia. All she wanted to do was to be on the field of battle again, what she was meant to do, not languishing in some musty old windswept stables.

Then, one day, her fortunes changed. His name was Sir Galland of Shropshire, and he had come to find a replacement steed for the one he had lost in his previous battle. Dismissing the stable hands warnings as 'superstitious nonsense', he ignored the rumours surrounding her and had taken her as his own. For the first time in weeks she was elated. Finally she would return to the field. Finally she would fulfil her purpose in life. On that very day, she vowed to never lose another knight again; to protect him with her very life. Should she fail, she was prepared to sell her self dearly. The contoured armoured plates fit snugly against her like a second skin, Sir Galland's heraldry replacing the old set that decorated her frame. After a scant few days of getting acquainted with drills and practice runs, she felt like she had worked with him all her life. He was her third, and one way or the other, he would be her last.

A week later by her count, fresh orders had come in. They were marching to Crecy to reinforce the army currently gathering there for a decisive battle against the French for control of the region.

It took the best part of a fortnight to reach the English encampment, battling the elements and making do with an inadequately supplied caravan all the way. After a night's rest, battle plans were drawn up and the following morn saw a sea of armour, equines, and steel as far as the eye could see; all marching forward with a single purpose until a similar force could be sighted on an opposing hillock. This leads us to the present situation, with both sides drawn up and ready for battle. Midnight fidgeted on her hooves, pre battle jitters making her antsy. She could practically smell the anticipation, the fear, and the violent undercurrent that hung heavily in the still air like morning mist. She longed for battle once more; to eat up the ground with her galloping strides, to feel the adrenaline as she and her rider closed ranks with the enemy. Unfortunately, all she could do was wait.

She didn't know where the first cry originated from, only that it was reciprocated in kind. Soon the air was filled with the roar of fighting men, bellowing their war cries as they prepared to move forward. The wave of euphoria soon reached her own unit of knights. Almost as one, Midnight reared back on her hind legs and brayed out a cry of her own while Sir Galland gripped her reins with one gauntlet, his other hefting his lance to the heavens above while all around them knights and steeds joined in their anticipation of glory. As the last set of hooves touched the soil, they began to gallop en masse; a swarm of thundering hooves and shining steel that tore across the uneven ground, seeking to smite their common foe. The skies darkened with a cloud of arrows arcing down towards them. Like a flock of birds avoiding a predator, they quickly changed direction; the whistling death impacting harmlessly upon soft ground. From in front, Midnight could see an approaching herd similar to her own, clouds of dust and dirt billowing in their wake. French mounted knights. She had not faced them in a while; it would be interesting to see how they fared.

Long strides ate up the ground, turning it into a churning sea of grass and dirt. Within seconds the lead elements were upon each other; metal clashed, blows traded, and Sir Galland was plucked from her back by a French lance. While most mounts would canter off to escape the field, she did not. She had made a vow, and she intended to fulfil it. Where once there had been two proud units of opposing mounted knights there now was a veritable melee, and Midnight wasted no time in getting involved. Seeing a French knight stood over Sir Galland, his sword raised high over his head to deliver the killing blow, she burst into action. Just as he was poised to strike, a solid buck severely dented the Frenchman's armour and caused him to pin wheel several yards away. A thankful Sir Galland staggered to his feet, drawing his short sword as he braced to deflect the blow from another dismounted French knight, his fellows fighting all around him. Seeing one of her fellow mounts disembowelled by a French knight on foot, she immediately charged him. Whinnying in anger, the knight's head whipped round just as she reared back on her hind legs before bringing her fore hooves down on his helmet, crushing it and his skull like tin foil.

Pain assaulted her left flank as a stray crossbow bolt penetrated her armour, embedding itself in her hindquarters. She hadn't even realised how close to the enemy's frontline she had been. Hesitation cost her again as metal dented and buckled the Peytral plate covering her barrel. Lowering her head, she rammed her opponent, knocking the wind out of him before viciously stomping him into the ground. A distinct yell of pain caused her to snap out of her assault. Shooting a look over her withers, her eyes widened in horrified realisation. There were two of them, Sir Galland sandwiched between; one holding his attention while the other struck a cowardly blow from behind. Through a gap in his armour, a long sword had driven deep into Sir Galland's side. Clutching his wound while swiping ineffectively with his own blade, he was grossly outmatched. Midnight saw red. The Frenchmen had no honour, no chivalry; they sought to break her vow.

She would give them no quarter.

Taking off at a full gallop, she focused on nought but her target. Everything else dimmed in her peripheral vision while she weaved through a maelstrom of clashing blades, homing in on the man she vowed to protect. A scant few yards away, she brayed an anguished cry as she body checked the nearest assailant into next week. Pain scythed through her right hind leg as the second French knight sliced cleanly through the exposed flesh. A fumbled buck put him down while Sir Galland finished him off, but the damage had been done. They were both wounded, and she could barely canter let alone carry him on her back. There were a lot more Frenchmen then there were English near by. The knights had largely cleared the field and small groups of enemy infantry had begun to advance upon them. It was clear they were overwhelmed, and yet she still did not retreat.

Despite their dire straits, Sir Galland could not help but feel a surge of pride. How many others could boast such a loyal and determined steed? The mare was a force to be reckoned with; a knight in equine form. She had stuck close to him the entire fight, saving his life twice now and wrecking havoc upon their foes. And now here they stood; side by side, horse and human, as allies against a common foe. He could not ask for a finer comrade in arms. For a long moment, her expressive muddy amber eyes seemed to lock with his own, conveying what he already knew; that this was the end for them. Her narrowing gaze returned to the incoming soldiers, her head bowing as if in decision. At some ungiven signal, the mare reared up on her unsteady hind legs and whinnied a battle cry. As momentum carried her back to the ground, she took off in a loping run, head lowered as nigh 1400 pounds of raw muscle, sinew, and armour charged into French lines. Infantrymen were trampled or bowled over as Midnight cast them violently aside like broken toys. Several tried to strike her down, but they were either too slow or their blows bounced off of her dented armour plates. Seeing his mare was carving a corridor of destruction through the enemy's ordered formations as if she were God's own wrath, Sir Galland offered a brief prayer to the almighty for her safety.

Pain lanced through her injured hind leg, but Midnight ignored it as best she could. If she could not carry her knight to safety away from the enemy, then she would make damn sure that none could get to him. She was deep now, too far into their formations to back out. The only way was forward, but she was running out of momentum. The physical impact of each French soldier she hit coupled with crashing adrenaline and fatigue brought on by her many wounds caused her charge to falter, yet she continued on. To stop would be death, to retreat would be futile. There was only forwards; onwards to the next foe, blood and carnage trailing her wake. Even so, she would not be able to run forever. She knew in her heart that she would not survive this day, but she pushed on nonetheless for she had made her vow, and keep it she would. For as long as she breathed, she would do everything in her power to keep him safe. If that meant her life, then so be it. Every second she fought brought her knight more time, and she would make sure that when the time came, she would not go quietly.

It wasn't until she was several hundred yards in to the French lines that Midnight's luck finally ran out. She had just trampled through a hastily mobilising unit of pike men when the staggering mare felt the lance of cold steel pierce the gap between the Flanchard attached to her saddle and the Crupper protecting her hindquarters. A second thrust from a spear pushed deeper in to her bowels and caused the mare let loose a scream of agony as she desperately tried to lash out at her attacker even while more Frenchmen assailed the surrounded horse. Heart thumping wildly in her chest, Midnight continued to fight as if possessed, even as her life force continued to ebb and stain the green sods of turf below in the ensuing melee. All warriors have their limits however, and this particular equine was no different.

Feeling woozy, Midnight's movements were growing increasingly sluggish as she began to bleed out; the loss of blood proving too much for the mare as she finally slumped to the bloodied ground. Barely conscious, she could just make out the surrounding soldiers in the haze that increasingly clouded her greying vision. Come to finish her off, had they? Let them come. She would show them that even on the precipice of death; she was not to be trifled with. Before any could get near however, the ground shook to the thundering of hooves coming from behind the dying mare. Midnight was dimly aware of the clash of steel as mounted English knights ploughed through the disintegrating French lines around her, fresh skirmishes between opposing infantry breaking out as the enemy was slowly being pushed back little by little. Resting her tired head upon the war torn earth, Midnight couldn't help but feel a sense of elation as her life faded away to the blackness of death's embrace. She had kept her vow and fulfilled her duty as her knight's steed; her only regret that she no longer had the strength to serve him in battle again.

Sir Galland strode forth over the carnage of the field, mindful of the fallen as he sought out the one comrade he had not accounted for once the battle had concluded in England's favour. There were others present of course; serfs and soldiers alike combing through the dead either for ill gotten gain or to ensure that they were recovered so that carrion birds would not feast upon them before they could receive a proper burial. The knight ignored them all however as he retraced his steps from barely half a day before, passing the point where he had been violently dismounted and following the trail of destruction left by his noble steed.

He found her surrounded by the crumpled bodies of French soldiers in a pattern almost like a morbid flower, several displaying blunt force trauma that could only come from the impact of an angry equines hooves. She almost seemed peaceful, asleep even as the mare lay resting on her folded legs while her muzzle lay on the churned grass with eyes closed. Reaching out a gloved hand, Sir Galland gave Midnight's still body an affectionate stroke along an exposed portion of the muzzle before standing back up. Even though he had not known the horse for long, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. Never had he seen such strength, courage, and loyalty in an animal before; truly the mare really was a knight in equine form until the very end. Once he had paid his respects to his fallen steed, Sir Galland began the short journey back to where the rest of the English army was encamped while recuperating for the next great battle.

Later that night, he would offer a prayer to God for the safekeeping of the mare's soul. Little did he know however that a strange bluish green hue would envelop the recently deceased equine's body when none were looking, causing it to vanish in a flash of light. Nor would he know that though Midnight's life on Earth had come to an end, her story was only just beginning.

* * *

**And so the prologue is complete. Should I continue, we won't be seeing Equestria until around chapter 3 if things play out the way I want them to. I know I haven't really described Midnight's appearance, but I felt it best to save that until the inevitable encounter with the mane six in order to get their take on how they perceive her.**

**Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they****'****re posted and/or updated.**

**Thanks for reading**

**\- RevenantReaper337**


	2. Chapter 2: The Pale Horse

**Authors note:**

**Hello everybody, and thank you for even considering reading my first foray in to the MLP fandom. To be honest, I didn't quite expect that level of positive response in such a relatively short period of time, and so have tried to scrape a new chapter together as rapidly as possible in order to keep this story going. Unlike my main Ratchet &amp; Clank trilogy, I haven't got an update schedule for this story; partly due to extended Christmas working hours eating in to my free time, but also because starting work on Whole Again - my sequel to Time Heals All - is going to take priority in the new year. In short, updates are going to be sporadic at best, and probably nowhere near as long as my normal fare, so I'm sorry in advance for any disappointment I might inadvertently cause.**

**I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all your reviews, favourites, and follows. Unlike my last story, I won't be individually naming each those who favourite and follow, but I will continue to respond to every single review if possible. Again, my apologies for any annoyance this may cause.**

**Review Replies:**

**randomguestkitty - Why thank you, I hope you like this chapter too.**

**Dablackwyrm - Hello again my friend! Glad you're liking this story so far, hope it lives up to your expectations. To be honest, I had to look up who Epona was since I haven't really played any of the Zelda games. But in doing so, you have once again aided me by inspiring the plot device I needed to finish this chapter (you'll see once you've read mid way through the chapter). Thanks again.**

**Disclaimer:**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Hasbro. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me.**

'_Thoughts__'_

_Flashbacks and inflections on words_

"Speech"

* * *

**The Pale Horse**

A sense of fuzziness fogged Midnight's mind as she slowly came to, though considering that the last thing she remembered was being at death's door then anything was an improvement. Realisation jolted her awake as the memories surged back with a vengeance; the cavalry charge, the ensuing melee, and her final stand to protect her knight's very being at the cost of her own morality. Looking around the dull grey landscape surrounding her, the war charger couldn't help but feel a sense of puzzlement at what seemed to be a monochrome winterised forest encroaching on the narrow cobblestone path upon which she now lay with flakes of snow silently drifting down around her slumped frame. Was this heaven then, or had she somehow ended up somewhere else altogether? Midnight honestly didn't know, but seeing as simply lying here would get no answers she resolved to find out through her own means.

Rising steadily to her hooves, the dark coated mare was thankful that she was still wearing her full set of barding, though the damage from her previous battle stood out clearly on her otherwise polished armour. On that note, Midnight also found it curious that although her wounds were still apparent, most notably the deep rents of torn flesh upon her flank from where a spear had been thrust, there was no pain. In fact, she physically felt little to nothing at all other than the crunching snow on cobbles under hoof as she set off down the narrow twisting path in the hope that it would lead her someplace else. Step after step, Midnight continued down the monotonous path with only her own thoughts for company as she took in her grey and dreary surroundings. The forest was unnatural, that much was clear, and perhaps the land in which she walked as well. Not a bird flew through the dull overcast sky, nor did a single tree rustle from the passing of an animal. Were it not for the flurries of snow continuing to blanket the ground and her own presence, then she would think her surroundings to be as lifeless as its colourless palette.

The cobblestone trail twisted and turned upon itself in a seemingly nonsensical pattern for what seemed like hours, taxing Midnight's patience at the apparent lack of progress on her part as she broke first in to a trot and then a canter as she sought to expedite her journey along the identical looking tree lined path. Just as she was considering picking up the pace again and plain running however, the forest began to peter out from dense woodland in to sporadic thickets until she rounded a bend on the path, only to pause at the sight before her. With the overgrown vegetation receding, the cobblestone path had widened and the deep snow seemingly melted the closer it got to the edge of a sheer cliff, with a drop that seemed to go on for all eternity in to the black void far below. A humpbacked stone bridge led over the sheer nothingness to an island that seemed to be floating without any visible means of support, upon which a picturesque thatched cottage sat within a well kept garden; the entire entity encompassed within a translucent greenish blue bubble that seemed to contain all the colour within this otherwise dark and strange place.

With increasing bewilderment, Midnight cautiously made her way over the plain stone bridge towards the oddly placed cheerful looking home seeing as it was the only sign of life she had seen so far. A house meant humans, and a human presence meant that she was not alone in this peculiar predicament. Crossing to the other side, the war charger stared warily at the greenish blue spherical barrier covering the island for several long moments before gingerly giving it an experimental poke with a hoof, only to find that the appendage easily passed through with little more than a tingling sensation that sent a shiver down her spine. Steadying her nerves against this clear demonstration of sorcery, Midnight nickered softly as she pawed at the ground briefly before slowly easing her way past the now rippling barrier and on to the island itself.

As soon as the mare had crossed the threshold, she noticed an immediate difference. The sky was now a brilliant blue wherever she looked and the world around her was a rich tapestry of colour that had been noticeably absent outside this seemingly idealistic sphere; a soft breeze blowing through the blades of grass on the lush green lawn and arranged flowerbeds flanking the cobbled path leading up to the thatched cottage's front door. The feeling of emptiness she had experienced in the forest was now absent as well, the sensation of fresh greenery beneath her hooves exquisite in comparison to trudging through the numbingly cold snow...and reminding her stomach that it had been a long time since she had last eaten. With little more thought, Midnight lowered her head and began to graze upon the delightfully tender grass before her, not noticing the cottage door swinging open or the occupant stepping out shortly afterwards.

"YOU THERE, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! GET OFF MY LAWN! GO ON, BUGGER OFF!"

Midnight almost jumped out of her skin with a frightened whinny; not at the tone of words used seeing as she was used to the din of battle, but rather how each syllable seemed to claw at her soul with a most primal fear that froze the very blood in her veins, made the hairs of her coat stand on end, and invoked an urge to get as far away from the source as possible. Upon whipping her head around to face the source of the voice, the battle scarred mare decided to make good on that last instinctual response as her muddy amber eyes widened in terror at the unworldly being now approaching her petrified form. Contrary to what most people believe, the equines of Earth do have some semblance of culture and traditions kept alive by stories told by word of mouth; passed down by mother to foal for each generation. One such tale tells of a stallion as old as time itself; the one that comes to all equine kind when their time has come in order to reap their souls and allow passage to whatever afterlife there may be.

The Pale Horse

The bleached skeletal equine form certainly looked the part; a tattered black cloak covering a majority of his decidedly male form considering the deep voice, and a pair of glowing blue orbs in place of eyes casting a shadow over a majority of his skull that was covered by a hooded cowl. All in all, the decidedly supernatural creature was the epitomical image of death. Midnight bolted back the way she came, intending to gallop over the bridge only to slam in to the now solidified energy sphere covering the island. "OH NO YOU DON'T WAR, YOU CONIVING GIT! LET YOUR DOGS SHIT ON MY LAWN WILL YOU? WELL NOT THIS TIME! TURN AROUND AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!" Staggering backwards while shaking her head, the shaken war charger reluctantly turned around to face her foe...only now noticing that the creature's terrifying visage was slightly ruined by the fluffy bunny slippers on each hoof and a spangling star pattern mug of tea being towed along with a greenish blue tinge of energy in his wake. The walking corpse paused in mid-step momentarily with his head cocked before the sense of impending doom washed over the shaking mare; a feeling of calm in it's stead, though Midnight still eyed the stallion warily and with not a small amount of fear as he came to a halt but a few paces away.

"Terribly sorry about that, thought you were an old acquaintance of mine; what with all that barding and everything. It does however beg the question as to whom you might be, and how you got here in the first place though. I'm afraid I don't tend to get many visitors to my domain, or at all actually barring my colleagues."

Midnight blinked in bewilderment at both the conversational tone and the realisation that the skeletal horse spoke in the familiar human tongue known as English. Nickering in response to his question, the war charger could only watch as the Pale Horse planted a slipper clad hoof against his skull. "Horse, of course. Rather obvious you're not going to be able to hold a decent conversation, unless..." Tendrils of greenish blue ether briefly filtered over the confused mare's head, proceeding a full body shudder and rapid blinking on her part before she set eyes on the deathly stallion once more. "Wh-what was...?" Midnight froze up at the English words coming from her own lips with a faint trace of Wiltshire accent. The skeletal stallion clopped his fore hooves together in satisfaction, neatly ignoring the usual effects of gravity. "Splendid! Now we can have a proper civilised conversation. Might I have your name?"

The war charger shifted uncomfortably on her hooves for a few seconds before deigning an answer with but a slight quiver in her voice. "I was given the name Midnight, my lord. Might I be so bold as to ask whom you believed me to be?" The Pale Horse meanwhile had somehow produced an aged scroll from underneath his cloak and had it unravelled in front of his face while pouring over its contents. "Bit of a faux pas I'm afraid, I mistook you for War; an old colleague of mine and one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse alongside Pestilence, Famine, and myself. He's a bit of a bullish sort who has a tendency of letting his bloody dogs take a dump on my front garden when he knows I'm not home." Midnight blinked in confusion, a habit that was likely to grow considering her increasingly odd circumstances. "I do not understand...how canst thou be a horseman if thou art not human? Art thou not the Pale Horse of legend come to take mine soul to the beyond?"

The skeletal equine briefly lowered the parchment to give the equivalent of a frown at the armour clad mare. "I am the Death of all things; be they the greatest king or the lowliest blade of grass. Every species perceives me in their own particular way, and my physical form shifts to compensate." Skimming over the contents of the parchment once more, Death muttered to himself aloud as he got further down the list "Mary...Medora...ah, here we are; Midnight... Well that's peculiar. I wasn't supposed to see you until next Tuesday, I even had you pencilled in for an afternoon slot." The skeletal stallion discarded the now rewrapped scroll which promptly disappeared in to the shadow of his cloak while he returned his attention back to dark coated mare. "Quite simply put, you aren't supposed to be here. Perhaps if you were to recall the circumstances leading up to our meeting then I might be able to deduce the reasons as why this has occurred."

And so Midnight recounted the events leading up to their impromptu meeting; the battle of Crecy, her sacrifice and presumed death, awakening in the wintry forest of Death's domain, and the journey leading up to the bubble encapsulated island upon which they now stood. "Well that's a bit of a pickle," Death began with a hoof held thoughtfully under his chin. "Sounds like the sort of thing Epona would do; bloody interfering nag of a Celtic deity always had a soft spot for equines, and now I've got to fix it. Just _wonderful_." The skeletal horse gave a dry sigh before rummaging in his cloak once again briefly, producing a contorted hourglass that seemed to ignore the laws of physics entirely considering the sand that was pooled in the bottom was now slowly and inexplicably trickling upwards through a corkscrew pattern of tubing to the top half, and wouldn't alter course no matter how much the keeper of souls tried to shake it around.

Death continued to mutter dire threats at the supposed cause of this anomaly while Midnight tried to wrap her mind around the circumstances she now found herself in. Not only had she to come to terms with the fact that she truly was beyond the land of the living, but Epona; patron Goddess of equines everywhere had interfered in her passing to deliver the war charger directly to Death's door in the literal sense. But for what reason? Had she earned favour somehow for her prowess in battle, or was she being punished for some unknown sin? All Midnight knew was that these events had been but a cliff note in no doubt strange and troubling times to come. Her introspection was cut off by the Pale Horse giving a frustrated growl that bristled the hairs on her coat before turning his piercing, glowing blue eyes back towards her.

"Well I don't know how she did it, but she's gone and messed up your allotted life time and even I can't fix it! Believe me; we are going to have _words_ once I find that insufferable woman!" His expression seemed to soften slightly as he looked over the armoured equine before him. "The question now is what to do with you..." Midnight wetted her dry lips, her heart quivering in a mixture of nervousness and possible hope as she spoke once more. "Lord Death; if there is still sand in my glass, does that not mean...that I might live again? Please, I beseech you my lord, could I not return to the field of battle once more?" The skeletal horse shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid not my eager friend. Once a soul has left the mortal plane of its world, it may not return. Unless you count reincarnation, and that's a bit of a grey area at the best of times."

The battle scarred mare felt her spirits lower along with her head at the disappointing news, even as the reaper of souls began to pace back and forth while voicing his thoughts out loud. "You can't well stay here, seeing as I don't have the lodgings, and returning you to Earth is certainly out of the question. What to do...what to do..." Suddenly his pacing came to a halt mid stride as a metaphorical light bulb illuminated inside his skull; a worryingly creepy looking grin lighting up his bony face briefly before he turned shining eyes back towards the armour clad mare. How had he not seen it before? If he couldn't empty her hour glass through conventional means, then why not take a leaf out of the Goddess' book and cheat? An idle thought sprung to mind that this might actually be playing directly in to he deity's hands, but was ruthlessly squashed in favour of solving the issue at hand and getting back to his morning crossword and now probably stone cold tea.

"Midnight my dear, I believe I may have a solution." The scarred mare perked up slightly as she gave the approaching reaper of souls her full attention. "Though you might not be able to return to your own realm, the sands of time in your glass would allow you to start fresh in another altogether." The war charger felt her heart skip in anticipation as she framed her question. "Would I be as I am now my lord, or but a young filly once more?" Death shook his head slightly before replying. "You would be exactly as you are now; a grown mare fresh from battle. The realm I have in mind has many equines that speak in human tongues just like you do now, and has seen its fair share of conflicts in the past. I'm sure you'd get along there just fine." If Midnight hadn't been sold before, she certainly was now; with the picture in her mind of glorious battle alongside horses like herself. Bowing her head in supplication, the dark coated mare voiced the words that would seal her fate for better or for worse. "I accept, my lord. For granting me this boon, I shall forever be in your debt."

Death nodded in a solemn manner that was a world removed from his previously jovial tone; his scythe materialising from the ether beside his muzzle, his glowing blue eyes flickering as he scryed for the world to which he would send this wayward soul "Very well, young mare. Keep still and focus upon the name of the realm; Equis." Midnight did as he asked; closing her eyes and evening out her breathing while mentally repeating the name of her new home as if it were her own personal mantra. Static discharge in the air prickled the hairs on the war charger's coat and a faint breeze began to pick up as the Pale Horse gathered his considerable power in to his traditional instrument of reaping; bluish green energy crackling along the ebony handle and condensing towards the tip while a growing hum began to permeate the enclosed area. Finding the intended realm, Death mentally locked in the coordinates and with a gratuitous sweep of his scythe tore a rent in the fabric of reality barely large enough to accommodate a small family car.

"Now, Midnight! The bridge will not last long!" The armour clad mare snapped her eyes open to see the blank white tear in the space time continuum before her; looking for all the world like someone had merely ripped through a piece of cloth, only this particular phenomenon was rapidly closing by the second. Wasting no more time, Midnight trotted forth to stand before it; shooting one last look at the virtually God like being concentrating his considerable power behind her. "Fear not my lord; I shalt not squander this chance. Thank thee...and farewell." With those parting words, the scarred war charger passed through the closing breach and was gone with a flash of light. Letting the hole collapse upon itself now that she was gone, Death began to chuckle aloud. "Don't worry my dear; with the way you act I'm sure we'll be reacquainting ourselves all too soon."

With a shifting of blue-green ethereal power, the Grim Reaper stood once more in his preferred human skeletal form; flexing his bony digits before retrieving his dropped mug and draining the dregs of tea on to the lawn as he made his way back up the path to his quaint cottage retreat to finish his interrupted breakfast. Crossing the threshold, he couldn't help an almost sinister chuckle escaping his tooth laden jaws at the thought of what he had done. The reaper of souls had barely divulged anything about where he was sending the over eager mare, especially about the dominant species and their largely pacifistic ways. He was almost tempted to dig out the old scrying crystal gathering dust in a drawer somewhere in order to observe the potential mayhem up close, when an odd noise disturbed his thoughts. Moving to the window of his kitchen area, Death poked his head out only to seethe with rage at what he saw.

"WAR, YOU UTTER BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU LET YOUR DOGS SHIT ON MY LAWN! AGAIN!"

The enraged horseman of the apocalypse bolted out the front door to pursue the tank like mass of bearded muscle and armour that was the humanised representation of war; bullishly laughing as he took off with a pair of super buff Chihuahuas that were at least ten feet tall at the shoulder and wearing spiked collars close on his heels. Death neatly skirted around the piles of poop that would put a Tyrannosaurus to shame as he sent shockwaves of blue-green energy at this foes while screaming dire threats at the retreating trio. Why War's wife, sweet Valkyrie that she was, would get her husband puppies for his birthday and _not_ expect him to turn them in to some form of weapon was anyone's guess; especially now that the tiny yapping lap dogs were now towering instruments of _ass_ destruction. The reaper of souls grit his teeth as his colleague continued to mock him from afar. idly wondering which deity he had annoyed in order to get such a terrible morning.

"Why me?"

* * *

**It took me long enough to get my head around for such a short chapter, but I had to find a (moderately) plausible way to get Midnight to Equestria in a less than clichéd way. I based the character of Death off of a combination of Terry Pratchett's Discworld interpretation and Tom Baker's version in the Medievil remake for PSP; whose brilliant voice I incidentally had in mind when creating my version of a disgruntled horseman of the apocalypse. Next up will be Midnight's unceremonious introduction to Equestria, though with work and everything that might be a while.**

**Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they****'****re posted and/or updated.**

**Thanks for reading**

**\- RevenantReaper337**


	3. Chapter 3: A Knight to Remember

**Authors note:**

**Back once again with perhaps my last update before the Christmas rush really kicks in and my writing time plummets to zero. Hopefully I'll have enough time to carry this story on in to the new year; though as previously mentioned, updates are going to be a bit sporadic at best. Not much else to say really other than to thank you all for staying with this story, and that I hope you enjoy the chapter for what it is.**

**Review Replies:**

**Dablackwyrm - Believe it or not, Epona actually **_**is**_** a Celtic Goddess of fertility and - you guessed it - equines of all kinds. The developers simply borrowed the name for the games, though I like to think that maybe **_**that**_** Epona is perhaps an avatar of the deity in question. Who knows? I could have used the Darksiders incarnation of War, but I didn't think he'd fit in with my version of Death. I was actually thinking of Brian Blessed at the time with his booming voice, and the image kind of grew from there. You're right about Midnight, Death definitely didn't give her the full picture, and as you'll see in this chapter her normal methods for dealing with issues aren't exactly going to endear her to the locals…**

**Disclaimer:**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Hasbro. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me.**

'_Thoughts__'_

_Flashbacks and inflections on words_

"Speech"

* * *

**A Knight to Remember**

Cold.

The absence of heat sent an involuntary shudder through Midnight's aching body as she lay on the cool, wet ground. Cracking open an eye, she winced as dark shapes swam in to focus; resolving themselves in to tree trunks covered with a thick canopy that admitted little light in to the forest clearing in which she had awoken. The dark coated mare idly wondered whether losing consciousness followed by coming to somewhere entirely different from where she began was going to become a habit considering what the day had bought so far. Stumbling to her hooves, the war horse felt a small tinge of relief at the familiar weight and clanking of her battered armour as she struggled temporarily to find her balance. The sudden movement agitated the myriad of cuts and lacerations that had accumulated during her final battle, including the previously mortal spear wound gouged in to her flank; though a brief inspection over her withers gave Midnight pause at the sight of said wound now replaced with a mass of scar tissue, appearing as if it had been healing for days.

Taking a few moments to test her mobility and make sure that her prior injuries wouldn't impede her ability to fight, the war horse marvelled briefly at the increased flexibility that allowed her to manipulate her fore legs in an oddly human manner before examining her surroundings with greater clarity in an effort to work out just where exactly she had ended up this time. This forest was certainly not the same dull monochrome one of Death's domain; it was far too..._vibrant_ to be related in any manner, especially considering the rather simplistic colour palette compared to what she was used to on Earth. A soft breeze rustled the leaves on the trees and the sprawling mass of dew encrusted grass glistened under hoof like a blanket of jewels; the clearing being lit solely by the stars and the full moon in an entirely cloudless night sky. Midnight closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of untarnished woodland with a small smile touching her lips, simply enjoying the elation of being among the living once more.

And then the screaming started.

Midnight's head jolted up with a start; muddy amber eyes snapping open and ears swivelling to triangulate the source of the cries even as a guttural roar proceeded to reverberate across the otherwise serene forest. The war charger automatically oriented herself towards the sounds emanating deep inside the dense woodland and was moving before her brain had properly evaluated the potential threat. Being of breeding age, the dark coated mare had ingrained instincts that governed her behaviour; chief among them being the drive to protect foals from predators, and the cries of fear she was making best speed towards sounded terribly young. Finding a relatively clear stretch free of debris, Midnight sped up from a fast trot to a near gallop as the bestial roars became ever closer; almost indistinguishable from the cacophony of what would no doubt be a one sided battle against a great and terrible creature.

Snapping several low lying branches off of the trees that encroached upon her path, the armoured equine spied her soon to be foe in a gap between the foliage; giving her pause as she took in the monstrous creature while its attention was diverted elsewhere. The beast resembled an enormous muscular cat with burnished orange fur and a darker shaggy mane, with proportionally larger front paws sporting razor sharp claws. A pair of sleek bat like wings sprouted from its back, but didn't seem to be powerful enough to lift the creature's no doubt considerable body weight, while its tail appeared to be made of segmented carapace complete with a spiked barb on its bulbous tip that flicked back and forth in agitation. All in all, the monster would surely prove to be a fearsome opponent that even the experienced war charger would consider twice before engaging.

However, the sound of hooves pawing at the ground accompanied by agitated snorts made the decision for her. No doubt the young ones, judging by the soft hoof beats, were planning to mount a foolhardy frontal charge against their superior foe; a tactic that would surely result in an unacceptable loss of life. This could not stand. Making sure she had a decent run up, Midnight bunched her considerable muscles and pushed off the damp sods of grass in to a full gallop against the monster's flank. In seconds the war charger had hit ramming speed, head lowered to decrease wind resistance as her thundering hooves ate up the ground and subsequently crashed through the last thicket between the mare and her opponent as if it were tissue paper while bellowing a war cry. Her foe would be formidable, but she would not falter in her duty as a protector. Death or glory awaited, and Midnight was determined to see that it was the latter that rung true this day.

{()}

For Twilight Sparkle, the day had just seemed to go from bad to worse. First there was her beloved mentor dismissing the studious mare's warning of Nightmare Moon's return , followed by her trip to the small town of Ponyville, where everything and everypony seemed either determined to further ruin her day in some form or were just plain crazy! Then of course was the dire prediction come true; Princess Celestia missing and the dark alicorn returned from her lunar prison to spread eternal night. Even after tearing the town library apart in her search for answers, Twilight was still no closer to discovering how to defeat Nightmare Moon other than that it involved six ancient artefacts known as the Elements of Harmony, and that they were likely to be found in the old abandoned castle in the depths of the Everfree forest. Of course rather than leaving the unicorn to her mission, the five mares she had run in to at various points during her brief stay in Ponyville had not only tracked her down but were also insistent on accompanying Twilight on her quest.

Admittedly, now that she was actually traversing the dark and creepy overgrown forest, Twilight was rather glad of their company. Trying to do this alone would have been more than a little intimidating, and if it hadn't been for Applejack and subsequently Rainbow Dash with Fluttershy catching her then she could very easily have died right there when the cliffside collapsed beneath their hooves. And now, after having spent the last twenty minutes being regaled by the chromatic maned pegasus on the event in an increasingly exaggerated fashion - despite already _knowing_ thanks to actually being there - Twilight's reply was cut off by the untimely arrival of an angry manticore in the forested ravine they were travelling through.

What followed was an entirely one sided fight in spite of the group's best efforts. Rarity - the last pony the lavender unicorn would _ever_ expect - not only dodged the first pounce by the chimera-like creature, but also delivered a solid buck to its nose; though the spittle laced roar at point blank range soon sent the fashionista running while screaming about the state of her hair with the manticore in close pursuit. Applejack had taken the opportunity to leap astride the much larger animal and proceeded to ride it like a bull at a rodeo, whooping and hollering until she was inevitably sent flying off of her bucking and jumping ride past an already hovering Rainbow Dash. The blue coated speedster darted straight at the manticore and proceeded to fly circles around it in an effort to confuse and disorientate; instead the rainbow coloured after trail forming a cyclone wall in her wake merely annoyed the lion hybrid creature, which swatted her aside with the club of it's tail to land in an undignified heap.

Anger at the manticore for jeopardising her companions lives clouded Twilight's mind; a hoof already pawing at the ground and a snort of condensation escaping her nostrils in the cool night air as the other mares formed a line beside her, save for a distinctly fretful looking Fluttershy who was still trying to call their attention. Ignorant of this fact, the five ponies steadily gathered speed as they charged in a loose wedge formation, the manticore tensing to pounce as the gap between the two warring parties rapidly dwindled. Drawing in a deep breath, Fluttershy prepared to shout for all she was worth in order to make herself heard and cease the confrontation when she was interrupted by an unexpected source.

The thundering of heavy hoof steps, far louder than anypony present had ever heard proceeded the forest exploding outwards in a shower of snapped branches and leaves immediately to the manticore's left flank; a bellowed war cry proceeding a veritable behemoth of a pony that charged through the breach and slammed in to the surprised hybrid animal like a runaway freight train. The six ponies could only stare in a mixture of awe and more than a little fear as the manticore was sent flying in to the forest on the opposite side of the trail, flattening several bushes and saplings in the process while the newcomer tore up the earth in coming to a skidding halt.

The pony in question was quite simply one of, if not _the_ biggest Twilight had ever seen; easily as tall as Princess Celestia and with a similar elongated muzzle. But that was where the similarities ended, for while the ruler of Equestria had a lithe and slender appearance with a shining white coat, this pony was broad framed and muscular in a manner that exceeded even Applejack's brother Big Macintosh. The massive equine had a coat that was as black as the darkest of nights along with a similarly coloured short cut tail; the severely muted palette only seeming to highlight the piercing muddy amber eyes that were narrowed in contempt beneath a dulled silver shaffron that covered a majority of the decidedly female looking pony's face.

It was the armour combined with the imposing size that first made Twilight along with the other mares initially mistake the intervening pony for Nightmare Moon. However, the dark alicorn's sparse armour plates seemed more for decoration than anything else, while the mare before them was wearing a set of heavy barding that was clearly meant for battle. Intricately engraved contoured armour plates covered almost every surface bar the powerful looking legs, giving her an intimidating air. A single skirt like piece covered the mare's entire hindquarters, leaving but a single hole for her tail to protrude through; a similar counterpart providing protection from shoulder to shoulder and halting just below her neck. The gap between the two largest pieces was occupied by a smaller separate plate closer to the bottom of the 'skirt' while an armoured saddle sat curiously on the top.

A segmented crinet covered the entirety of her mane from the withers to the top of her head with a similar but smaller plate covering her throat to completely enclose the neck. But it was the shaffron linked to the crinet that was perhaps the most intimidating element of the whole ensemble. Covering a majority of the mare's face from the armoured ear guards to the tip of her muzzle with a comparatively small decorative spike like a unicorn's horn jutting from the forehead; blood dripping freely from the faux metal horn to run down the engraved faceplate in rivulets that formed a truly frightening image for the young mares who had up to this point been sheltered from anything more violent than a spat between friends. Before anypony could say anything or otherwise act, an angered roar announced the return of a thoroughly seething manticore; now sporting a bloody gouge on its side. Upon seeing the returning lion like creature, the armoured mare bellowed a challenge of her own.

"BEGONE FOUL BEAST! BACK TO THE PITS OF HELL FROM WHENCE THY CAME!"

{()}

Being the experienced war horse that she was, it didn't take Midnight more than a few yards to halt her charge once she had struck true and the demon spawn had been sent unceremoniously flying away from the little ones it had the gall to attack. Keeping her body oriented towards her soon to be recovering opponent, the dark coated mare chanced a glance at the party she had saved only to feel a sense of bewilderment. There were six of the strangest equines she had ever seen, each but a fraction of her size with minute muzzles and large eyes wide and staring on the _front_ of their heads that gave their faces an oddly human like degree of expression. The closest analogue she could compare them to would be ponies, but their shape and size were just plain wrong. Stranger still however was that each of the probable fillies judging by their softer feminine features were sporting a veritable rainbow of coat colours and oddly styled manes with matching tails; literally in the case of the blue coated one with...wings?

On closer inspection, two of the little equines had feathery wings the same colour as their coats; the tense rainbow haired one with the blue coat and another with a pale yellow coat hiding behind the curtains formed from a long pink mane while giving a frightened 'eep' upon meeting the war charger's gaze. The predominantly purple one with the similarly coloured straight hair and gleaming white coated filly with coiffured bluish curls for a mane had short stubby horns in the middle of their foreheads; both looking more than a little unnerved at her appearance and most certainly afraid. The last two were perhaps the most 'normal' looking of the group. The first an orange coated filly wearing an unusual hat and a wary expression with her long blonde mane and tail both tied up in a fashion similar to that which Midnight had seen used by other war horses to keep their hair out of the way, while the other was almost entirely pink from the colour of her coat to the messy gorse bush of a mane and tail, save for the worried baby blue eyes.

Of peculiar interest was the small colourful pictures displayed upon their posteriors, but before the dark coated mare could attempt an introduction to the strange equines the wretched beast had made itself known once more. A reverberating roar shook the very leaves from the trees as the large cat like creature stalked back in to the clearing with rivulets of blood trickling from the wound upon its side. Tearing her gaze away from the children, the war charger focused all her attention on her wounded foe; feline pride no doubt demanding satisfaction for interrupting its hunt. Adrenaline spiking, Midnight noted the wings and prehensile spiked tail on the clearly demonic being; subtlety shifting her stance to prepare for the likely avenue of attack in the battle to come. Baring her teeth in a snarl, the former knight's steed snorted in anger before responding to the challenge with one of her own.

"BEGONE FOUL BEAST! BACK TO THE PITS OF HELL FROM WHENCE THY CAME!"

Clearly the manticore didn't expect such an aggressive response from a prey species; neither did it anticipate the sudden charge as the war horse sprinted forth in an attempt to gore her foe once again. Recovering quickly from its shock, the manticore dodged to one side and swiped a massive paw that raked sharp gouges in to the mare's armour plated flank as she blew past. Skidding to a halt thirty or so yards away, Midnight pawed the ground with flared nostrils before galloping straight back at the slightly larger predator once more. Anticipating the charge, the manticore braced its hind legs for the coming impact with claws raised and bared, only for Midnight to veer to the right at the last second; ramming her spiked faceplate in to the beast's side and drawing it through the exposed flesh as she ran past.

Roaring in pain and frustration, the manticore's scorpion tail lashed out wildly to strike the galloping mare as she passed by; smashing in to her flank and sending her sprawling with a massive dent the size of a cannon ball punched in to her rear most armour plating. Tumbling several yards, Midnight shook her head to dislodge the cobwebs in her mind as she forced her pain racked body to stand once more. Clearly normal cavalry tactics would not suffice on a creature of such size, and since she was incapable of attacking from range such as an archer would then there was only one other option at hoof. Feeling the flow of blood from her no doubt reopened leg wound, the war horse gave a guttural cry of anguish before leaping straight at her approaching foe in order to engage up close.

Ducking under one swipe then the other of enlarged feline claws that raked her withers, Midnight used her forward momentum and increased flexibility to pivot on the spot once she was inside the manticore's guard and unleashed a vicious double buck to the face. With a sickening crunch of bone, the hybrid beast clutched it's broken jaw with a howl of agony that caused it to rear up and involuntarily expose it's soft under belly. Having reoriented herself, the armoured mare ruthlessly exploited this weakness by ramming her faux horn in to the furry pelt before her again and again; tearing the metal spike in multiple directions to inflict the maximum amount of damage and end this fight as quickly as possible. Unbalanced by the sheer viciousness of the continued attacks, the manticore back peddled while batting at the black coated mare in an attempt to stave off the assault, only to topple backwards to land in a pained heap.

Sensing victory, Midnight trotted around to the head of the bloodied beast that was now mewling weakly in an agonised stupor on the forest floor; the sight of its stubborn opponent forcing an angered growl and a slowly raised paw with claws bared. Staring at the wounded animal dispassionately, the war charger simply raised a heavy fore hoof before slamming it down on the manticore's skull. Once, twice, three times before the chimera like creature finally lay still; it's head a pulpy mess of blood, bone, and grey matter. With the manticore no longer a threat, Midnight turned her attention to the six horrified fillies looking back at her no small amount of terror before slowly making her approach. Now that there was no longer any danger, she hoped to find out more about this strange new land in which she would dwell; but to do that, she would first have to attempt communication with these locals and hope that their native tongue was similar enough to understand.

Unfortunately, the fillies appeared to be far more afraid of the war horse than of the manticore that sought to do them harm considering the way they drew back with each step closer she took. Halting a dozen or so yards away, Midnight mustered a friendly smile as she held up a hoof in greeting. "Fear not little ones, for the beast is slain." The armour clad mare felt more than a little crest fallen at their...less than grateful reactions. The two horned fillies along with the poofy pink maned one were still huddled together while staring at her as if she were a great and terrible monster; the pale yellow winged pony hiding behind them as well as her long mane seemingly petrified with wide eyed fear. In contrast, the orange hat wearing one though clearly afraid had taken a wide stance just in front and to the side of the clustered ponies in anticipation of an attack, while the chromatic maned winged filly took flight and hovered protectively in front of the herd with false bravado; her barrel puffed out to make herself look bigger.

"Don't ya come any closer now, y'hear? We don't want no trouble." The orange coated filly's unusual accent gave Midnight pause as she considered her next words carefully. Though the words were strange, at least this one seemed to speak a form of English that she could understand. Of immediate concern though was the underlying tone of the words the small equine spoke. Did they think her a threat? After all she had done to prevent their no doubt grisly demise? Considering their apprehensive looks, that appeared to be more than certain. Clearly she would have to gain their trust before any meaningful exchange could be had. "Peace young filly, I mean you no harm. I am but a mare in a foreign land who happened upon your battle with the vile creature and wished to lend my aid." It was at that moment that the hovering blue pony zipped over to the war charger to get up in her face; crimson eyes narrowed in suspicion as she glared at the much larger mare.

"Oh yeah? Well I don't trust you!"

* * *

**Probably not the best first impression anyone's ever made. I originally intended to have the first proper interactions between Midnight and the mane six this chapter, but instead decided to make it a chapter in its own right rather than rush to cram it in here. This allows more time to build up the rapport between the characters and have them come to some understanding rather than the ponies just blindly trusting the violent war horse in their midst. Since the next update will be a while off and I won't be posting for a while, a very merry Christmas everybody and a happy new year! Take care!**

**Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they****'****re posted and/or updated.**

**Thanks for reading**

**\- RevenantReaper337**


	4. Chapter 4: Friend or Foe?

**Authors note:**

**Hello once again, I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas or if not then at least better than mine. As anyone who works in the retail industry will tell you, working over the Christmas period is **_**not **_**fun. Thankfully the few days off afterwards sort of makes up for dealing with temper tantrums, panic buying, and the occasional spell of pure stupidity that really makes you question humanity sometimes.**

**But in any case, here is what really should have been part of the last chapter if it weren't for time constraints; the first interactions with the mane six. It took me a bit of watching a few episodes and reading a few of the higher quality stories to try and get a feel for such established characters, and as such I can only hope that I've done them justice. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.**

**Review Replies:**

**Rainbow Dash O - Glad you like it so far. I'm updating as fast as I'm able, but overtime kind of cuts in to my writing time quite heavily. Hopefully I'll be able to update faster once Christmas is over and done with.**

**Dablackwyrm - She's making friends; the medieval way! Didn't know that story existed to be honest, I'll have to give it a read some time once I have a chance (not stealing ideas, really!) Sorry about cutting it off there, but hopefully this chapter will make up for what should have been in the last one. Thanks again.**

**Adhdluke - Thank you, hopefully this chapter will be to your liking too.**

**Disclaimer:**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Hasbro. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me.**

'_Thoughts__'_

_Flashbacks and inflections on words_

"Speech"

* * *

**Friend or Foe?**

Twilight Sparkle was beside herself with worry along with the other five mares in their group; even the normally hyperactive Pinkie was being uncharacteristically quiet in the face of what they had just witnessed. The giant armoured pony had not only taken on a manticore single hoofed, but beaten it in a most gruesome manner before brutally snuffing out its life. Having never experienced such violence before, let alone seen death up close, it was a particularly disturbing scene that would likely be ingrained on the girls' psyche for quite some time; especially for the animal loving Fluttershy, who was whimpering with brimming tears at the sight of the broken manticore corpse. The issue right now however was that said black coated mare was now approaching them at a leisurely pace; a mixture of manticore blood and her own both plastered across her dirt encrusted armour and dripping from multiple wounds, forming a gory image that reminded Twilight so much of one of Spike's trashy horror novels that he seemed to leave lying around back in Canterlot.

The six ponies edged back as one as she got closer; Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing between the large mare and their friends protectively despite feeling the same tension as the rest. Coming to a halt, the battle scarred equine smiled at the cowering mares while raising a hoof in greeting; seemingly not comprehending just how terrifying she looked to the much smaller ponies as she spoke an incredibly old fashioned dialect of Equestrian with a peculiar accent. The rational part of Twilight's mind that wasn't gripped with fear was already buzzing with questions even as Applejack tried to warn the black coated mare off. Who was this mysterious pony? Why did she intervene so violently to the extent that she could casually take a life? And how was she still standing so nonchalantly after suffering such grievous wounds that would cripple anypony else?

"Peace young filly, I mean you no harm. I am but a mare in a foreign land who happened upon your battle with the vile creature and wished to lend my aid."

The armoured mare's response was in itself an excellent source of information should one know where to look. Her admission of not being from Equestria might partially explain the odd manner of speech, as well as the fighting skills that were far too brutal to be derived from the royal guard. But what did that leave, and more importantly why was she here? Before Twilight could pluck up the courage to approach the mysterious mare, Rainbow Dash in her impulsive hotheadedness got right up in the newcomers face to spout off at a pony who could no doubt snap her in half without trying. Twilight heard Rarity's breath hitch as she came to the same conclusion at the blatant confrontation happening right in front of them, while Applejack looked like she was preparing to drag the pegasus away by the tail. "Consarn it filly! Git away from her, she's dangerous!"

Thankfully, the armoured giant remained calm as she turned her attention away from the hovering pegasus to the wary earth pony mare; determination set in every feature. "Only to those that threaten the lives of my comrades and the innocent, such as that beast had. Upon my honour, this I solemnly swear." A tense silence stretched out as Applejack's brilliant green eyes stared in to Midnight's own, seeming to communicate their intentions without words until finally, the farm pony spoke once more. "Ah believe you." Rainbow however was less convinced as she darted over to hover above her ground bound friend. "Are you serious?! With that get up, how do know she isn't working for Nightmare Moon, huh?" The stetson wearing mare gave a sideways glare at the pegasus above her head. "Ah _know_ when folks are lyin' RD, an' this here mare is speakin' nothin' but the truth." A chuckle drew the two's attention, a small smile gracing the subject in question's muzzle shortly thereafter as she moved to speak. "Thank you most kindly, though I would be troubled if thy minds did not have doubt of a strange mare's intent toward a herd of young fillies. Perhaps introductions are in order?"

The dark coated mare bowed her head in a regal manner before standing proudly to attention. "I am Midnight, daughter of Willow, and proud member of the knights errant under his Royal Highness Prince Edward the third. Might I have the pleasure of knowing thy names?" The chromatic maned pegasus seemed to be thrown for a loop momentarily considering her wide eyed expression before an appreciative grin lit up her muzzle. "So you're like a royal knight, huh? Well I guess you really aren't with Nightmare Moon since you did save our hides from that manticore, though I totally could have taken him myself." The feather winged pony performed a short loop in the air followed by hovering high and proud with a smug look plastered across her face. "Name's Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in all Equestria and captain of the weather team." Though Midnight might not have known what a 'weather team' was, she did recognise the military rank for what it was and acted accordingly; hooves clacking together audibly as her posture stiffened and her left fore leg clanged against her front plating in salute. "My greetings Captain Dash, truly it is a surprise to meet an officer so young."

Still a little wary but not wanting Rainbow's ego stroking to get worse any time soon, Applejack stepped forward to gain the larger mare's attention before tipping her stetson in greeting. "Ah'm Applejack, me an' mah family work the orchards up on sweet apple acres growin' the best darn apples ya ever had. If ya an honest sort like ah think ya are, then we'll get along jus' fine." Midnight, as the armoured mare had introduced herself, perked up in interest at the farm filly's statement; eyes alight with a sense of nostalgia. "Before I found my calling, I too used to till the land; though it has been long since I last touched a plough. If thou would'st allow it, I would not mind experiencing it again." That got the blonde maned earth pony's attention. A warrior who knew what it was like to do an honest day's work on the farm? Now _that_ was a pony that she wouldn't mind getting to know. "Ah'd like that, sugarcube."

Suddenly Midnight's vision was filled with pink. Well, mostly pink, save for the baby blue eyes staring upside down in to her own from mere inches away. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I know every pony in Ponyville!" The war horse whinnied in shock as she recoiled from the sudden invasion of personal space, though her unwelcome passenger continued to spout nonsense without batting an eyelid or apparently needing to breathe.

"IlikemeetingnewponiesandI'venevermetyoubeforesoyoumustnewandifyou'renewthenIgettothrowyouawelcometoPonyvillepartywherewegettohavecakeandplaygamesandhavesomuchfunbecauseweloveseeingnewponiesinPonyvilleandIlovetothrowparties,doyoulikeparties?"

Having ceased her attempts to throw off the pink menace, Midnight narrowed her eyes at the pony shaped limpet before responding with exceptional restraint. "If thou must speak in tongues child, then at least do it some place else. And what, pray tell, is a 'party'?" There was a period of awkward silence as the poofy maned earth pony stared back at much larger mare blankly, followed by somersaulting off to gasp dramatically with a loud inhalation of air. "YOU'VE NEVER HAD A PARTY?!" Pinkie remained upside down throughout the shocked declaration. In midair. For several seconds, before flipping round the right way and landing on all four hooves with cat like grace.

"A party is only the most splendiferous thing ever!" In the blink of an eye, the physics defying pony had somehow migrated from several feet in front of Midnight to glomping her foreleg with a teary eyed expression. "Don't you worry, you sad, sad pony. Auntie Pinkie's going to make sure that you get the bestest party ever! Then we'll have a party for every birthday you've missed, and then-" Midnight turned a pleading look towards the other mares present to save her from the pink abomination to nature, only to find Applejack hiding her amusement behind her hat and Rainbow Dash cackling with glee even as she fell to the forest floor while clutching her sides. Could they not see that some form of witchcraft was at play? How else could one explain the filly's unnatural abilities? Taking pity on the bewildered looking armoured mare, Rarity cleared her throat before speaking. "Pinkie Pie, you're overwhelming the poor dear. Perhaps you could plan your party later once we are out of this ghastly forest?"

"Okie dokie lokie!"

Seeing the relief in the imposing knight's eyes once the pink pony had bounced off, Rarity put on her most disarming smile and flicked an imaginary strand of hair away from her face as she turned on the charm. "Salutations darling, and might I say what a fabulous ensemble you have; though it could do with a..._bit_ of a spruce up." Now that she wasn't gibbering in terror, the fashion conscious pony could appreciate the intricate design of the black coated mare's armour; in spite of the caked blood and dirt that made her feel a bit nauseous just looking at it. The carvings were so precise and minute that she doubted even the best pony artisan could easily replicate the pattern; a shame then that the once no doubt beautiful gleaming armour was now ruined by exposure to such barbaric violence. The design however, especially the 'skirts', gave the fashionista so many ideas for new dresses that she didn't know where to begin.

Though the accent might sound slightly odd to her ears, Midnight recognised the undertone of nobility and reacted accordingly with a bow of the head. "Thank you my lady, though might I be so bold as to ask your name?" The white unicorn barely suppressed a squee of delight at being addressed as a 'lady', though she felt a little sheepish at forgetting to properly introduce herself. "How dreadfully rude of me! I...am Rarity, and this is my good friend Fluttershy." Peeking around the prim and proper mare, the pale yellow winged pony from before gave Midnight a fearful look before ducking back out of sight behind her equine shield with an 'eep' of terror. Rarity gave the imposing mare a sheepish smile along with a nervous laugh. "She's...not very good with strangers, but once you get to know her she is the sweetest pony you could possibly hope to meet."

Midnight felt a little crestfallen at the shivering filly being so petrified of her very presence, and so, being mindful of her injuries, she gently eased herself down to lay on the ground in front of the two ponies with a gentle manner in both expression and tone of voice. "Little one, why do you fear me so? Whatever I have done to sow such distrust, I humbly apologise." To her credit, Fluttershy peeked around Rarity's posterior, and with a little encouragement from the white coated mare, managed to stand shakily beside her before the much larger equine. Sniffling a little, tears could be seen brimming in the pegasus' eyes behind the veil of pink mane that covered much of her face from view. "Y-you killed him..." the voice was barely a whisper that Midnight wasn't entirely sure she had heard correctly. "Pardon?" Teal orbs hardened in response as they glared at the war horse accusingly. "The manticore! He never meant to hurt anypony, and now he's gone! Oh, the poor little kitty..."

"Little?"

Dash's sentiment echoed Midnight's precisely, though she choose to remain silent and let the filly vent her grief while Applejack played the voice of reason. "No offence sugarcube, but that there manticore weren't nothin' like those little critters ya take care of. If Midnight here hadn't turned up, who knows what could of happened?" The ponies present collectively shuddered at the sight of the bloodied rents in the war charger's armour; not needing much imagination to picture what such powerful claws could have done to their much smaller bodies, though for Fluttershy it was like flipping a switch in her mind. "Oh my gosh! You're hurt!" Gone was the righteous anger in favour of the frantic veterinarian that the introverted pegasus often played to her animal friends. Midnight craned her neck back over her withers to check her wounds, but saw nothing too debilitating; certainly nought that would keep her from combat anytime soon. "Calm, little one, tis but a flesh wound. Truly I have suffered far worse before."

Fluttershy would have none of it though, zipping back and forth to the tree line with various plants and leaves in hoof at a speed that would rival even Rainbow Dash before dumping the contents on the forest floor in a small pile and setting to work on a basic dressing for Midnight's reopened leg wound. Though the kindly pegasus was still experiencing a mixture of indignation and fear with regards to the much larger mare, she still felt an obligation to help. Slipping back in to a medical role was both comforting and familiar; especially if she thought of the scary blood soaked pony as just a big animal that needed her care. Tying off the dressing once she was sure the natural salve was firmly applied, Fluttershy stepped back to regard her work with a faint smile as her patient rose steadily to her hooves and tested the affected limb for stiffness. "My thanks to you kind Fluttershy, you need not have aided me when it was I that caused you grief."

Face flushing at the praise, Fluttershy made small circles with a fore hoof with a weak smile tugging at her lips. "Oh that's alright. I mean, I still don't like that you k-killed the manticore, but I know you only did it to protect us." The pale yellow pony squeaked in surprise as the war charger bent down to nuzzle her mane affectionately, but giggled unabashedly at the attention... At least until she remembered the other mares around her and retreated behind her pink mane once again with a flustered 'eep'. Straightening back up, Midnight noticed that there was still one pony to which she had not been introduced; the predominantly purple one with curious lavender eyes and a small horn jutting from her forehead who up to this point had been content to sit back and observe. Noticing that the black coated mare had her focus, the studious unicorn trotted forth to stand just in front of the equine knight before deigning to speak. "Um...hello there, my name is Twilight Sparkle. As Princess Celestia's personal student, I just wanted to say-"

Whatever Twilight had planned to say however was cut off by a wide eyed gasp from the armoured mare. Not only was the filly a scholar, no doubt of noble blood, but also with close ties to royalty!? Midnight reacted in the only way she knew how when faced with one of such a clearly higher station; by dropping to her knees and bowing her head in respect. "Forgive me lady Sparkle for my lack of respect, I had not known you were of such high birth." Clearly flustered and confused at the display along with the other mares present, Twilight managed to stutter her reply with only a bare minimum of red tingeing her cheeks. "P-please Midnight, my family's not that well off. I'm just studying under the Princess' tutelage, or at least I was until what happened a few hours ago." The dark coated mare raised her head to the same level as the studious unicorn in order to meet her gaze, though she continued to lie down on the forest floor. "Perchance, was this recent event the reason why you little ones are here alone at such a late hour?" A reluctant nod of confirmation only steeled the growing feeling in the war horse's stomach as she continued. "Might I ask then as to what has occurred that would lead thee to such a dark and dangerous place?"

Midnight listened intently as the predominantly purple pony recounted what had happened less than a day since. A dark and terrible sorceress had returned from ten centuries of banishment to enact her fiendish revenge; stealing away the beloved rightful ruler and spreading eternal night across the land. Though she might not have been the most intelligent of equines, the armoured mare was once a humble farm work horse and knew what a lack of sunlight could do to a village's harvest. Imagining the sheer magnitude of failed crops and mass starvation to follow, not to mention the drop in temperature caused her to shudder in revulsion at such a cruel and drawn out genocidal scheme. However, there was but a glimmer of hope; lady Sparkle and her herd of like minded ponies had learned of six ancient artefacts said to have been used to bound the evil maleficar to her other worldly prison before, and believed to reside in the ruins of an ancient castle deep within these perilous woods.

With such high stakes at hoof, it would be almost certain that this 'Nightmare Moon' would seek to impede their progress if not silence them altogether in order to prevent the sun from ever rising again. Seeing as the little ones lacked any weapons or protection and seem bereft of combat experience that would be needed to face such a foe, Midnight knew where her sense of duty would lie for the hours to come; for in her eyes, there was but one course of action open to her now. "Lady Sparkle, the peril thy must face will surely be beyond that which thy have encountered before. If thou would'st allow it, I wish to accompany thee and thine retinue on your most noble quest." Twilight blinked in stupefaction, not entirely sure what to say for a moment as her analytical mind shifted gear. Having an extra set of hooves to spare would be useful, especially since the armoured giant was more than capable of seeing off any wildlife that might try their luck at their group. That said, the mare was still mostly an unknown factor with little to no hesitation when it came to violence and even killing anything that stood in her path. What to do... What to say...

Feeling a hoof on her shoulder bought Twilight out of her mental funk, turning her head to see that said appendage was attached to a confident looking Applejack. "Ya trusted me once before sugarcube, and ahm askin' ya to the same again. That girl is as honest as they come." Skimming around to Twilight's other side but still hovering a good six inches off the ground, Rainbow Dash decided to voice her own opinion. "Well if AJ trusts her, then I say we give her a chance. Hay, if Nightmare Moon shows up, I'll bet she can buck her straight back to the moon!" Rarity with Fluttershy in tow stepped forth to concede their own opinions. "You can't have too much of a good thing dear Twilight, and having a dashing knight by our side can only make our journey safer." The pale yellow pegasus nodded timidly in agreement. "She's still kind of scary, but, um...sort of...nice?" Everypony turned to look at the impossibly wide grin on Pinkie's face as she quite literally vibrated across the ground in excitement before bursting in to a torrent of words that no sane creature could ever understand, though the gist was unsurprisingly positive.

Twilight returned her attention to the patiently waiting black coated mare with a tired smile. "Well since I'm outvoted either way, I guess that means you're coming with us too." Midnight steadily rose to her hooves, reminding the six ponies just how big the armoured giant was in comparison as conviction radiated from every feature. "Then so shall it be. By my honour bound, I am thy shield and thy retribution; a weapon to smite any foe who seeks to cross thy path. Until the forces of darkness lay crushed and the light of righteousness shines once more, this I do solemnly swear." The surrounding mares couldn't help but feel more than a little awe at the war horse's vow as she stood tall and proud like some heroic character from a historical or fantasy novel. And now she had appointed herself their guardian, though Twilight worried a more than a little over her...choice of words. "Uh...maybe you could do a little less 'smiting' and just scare away anything that tries to attack us."

Midnight considered the fillies horrified reactions to her slaying the manticore before reluctantly nodding in agreement. "Very well lady sparkle, I shall do as you ask. However, should any creature directly threaten your lives, then I shall act accordingly." Twilight sighed in resignation seeing as this was probably the best compromise given the situation, speaking of which... The studious unicorn's eyes widened in alarm as realisation dawned. "Oh my gosh! All this time we've been talking and Nightmare Moon is still out there! Every second we waste gives her more time to get stronger, and the castle ruins are supposed to be deep in the Everfree! What if she finds them first?!" The armoured mare drew herself up in the face of Twilight's words, the thought of such a dark and twisted creature possessing such undoubtedly holy relics unthinkable. "Come then, we must make haste!" Nodding in agreement, Twilight broke in to a fast trot with the rest of the expanded herd close on her heels. "Then let's hurry, we need to make up for lost time." Midnight took position near the centre of the formation, ready to respond to any incoming threats. The battlefield may have changed, but the nature of war had not. She had comrades to protect, an unrelenting foe, and a clear objective before her; what more could a mare reborn in the fires of conflict want?

* * *

**It honestly took a lot longer than I thought to put together this chapter, primarily due to my inexperience in writing in the MLP category in general. I've done my best to keep the mane six in character, though if I have strayed then I'd rather someone let me know sooner than not so I can correct this and future chapters. In any case, now that I've gotten past the first major hurdle, the next few chapters **_**should**_** become easier… Though as always, there is plenty that can go wrong.**

**Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they****'****re posted and/or updated.**

**Thanks for reading**

**\- RevenantReaper337**


	5. Chapter 5: Bad Moon Rising

**Authors note:**

**A very happy new year to you all, and thank you for continuing to read this story. For some reason, I really struggled to bring this chapter together; deleting and rewriting several hundred words worth twice in order to find a workable narrative, along with long periods of staring at a blank screen with no idea what to type. I think I've found the right pacing for this chapter, but I'm not 100% on how the interactions turned out. Only time will tell, I guess.**

**Review Replies:**

**Guest - Thank you. I tried to put my own little spin on Death, though the Discworld version in definitely my favourite literary interpretation. I'm glad you like Midnight too; I'm hoping to expand upon her character a little in the coming chapters, but there probably won't be too much until after the Nightmare Moon arc of this story.**

**Disclaimer:**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Hasbro. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me.**

'_Thoughts__'_

_Flashbacks and inflections on words_

"Speech"

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**Bad Moon Rising**

The unnatural darkness blanketing the Everfree seemed to encroach from all sides, creating a foreboding atmosphere for the herd of fillies and one battle scared war horse that made best speed ever deeper in to the deathly quiet woods. The further the seven equines went, the thicker the forest canopy got; cutting off a majority of what little light the moon offered and forcing them to move in a close staggered formation in order to pass through the narrowing clusters of trees. With her longer strides, Midnight found herself having to slow her pace to match her much smaller companions, inadvertently giving the dark coated mare time to regain some of the vigour she had expended on the fight with the manticore. It would seem that her very presence had a ripple effect on the local wildlife as well, seeing as nothing had jumped out at them for the past twenty minutes or so and the sole timber wolf they had glimpsed had promptly bolted at their approach.

Feeling a lot more confident at the distinct lack of threatening creatures, the herd of brightly coated ponies began to relax a little; save for their still vigilant much larger armoured sentinel that is. Having observed the dark coated mare for a majority of their trek so far, Twilight was bursting with questions about her origins. Where had she come from? Why was she here in the Everfree forest of all places? What sort of life could make her inclined to such violence? All she had were theories; some more outlandish than others, and she was not a mare who liked to be without all the facts to hoof on a particular subject. Seeing as there weren't exactly any convenient books she could reference, Twilight realised that the only way to get some answers about their mysterious protector was directly from the source. Stopping Nightmare Moon was far more important than the unicorn's innate curiosity, but she was definitely going to find out once this crazy series of events was over; preferably with a quill and notepad to hoof.

"Ugh, my eyes need a rest from all this _icky_ muck!"

Rarity's broke the companionable silence and snapped Twilight back to focus on the situation at hoof; especially since the thicker undergrowth they were passing through dropped visibility down to barely anything, leaving only the sounds of their hoof steps treading over a decidedly squelchy carpet of moss. "Well, I didn't mean that literally" Everypony present shared the glamorous unicorn's sentiment, glancing around nervously with straining eyes while imagined dangers preyed on their minds. Midnight felt decidedly uneasy as well at the sense of an imminent threat, but maintained an exterior sense of detachment so as not to panic her skittish companions. "Stand firm, little ones. Lady Sparkle, how much further is the castle we seek?" Twilight could only groan in frustration as she struggled to put one hoof in front of the other without running in to something in the near pitch black. "I can't even see my hooves in front of my face! We could be right on top of it and not even know it!"

With that declaration, the other girls' added their own thoughts and more often than not bumped in to each other in the process. Now that her eyes had somewhat adjusted to the increasing darkness, Midnight kept her gaze sweeping over the terrain with a niggling feeling growing in the back of her skull that something truly was amiss. It was Fluttershy's scream that had the armoured mare bursting in to action, putting her much larger body between the demeanour pegasus and the potential threat. "Aren't ya over reactin' jus' a little? Its jus' mud." Applejack's dismissal turned in to a yelp of fear as she bumped in to the reason for Fluttershy's wide eyed terror. All around the herd, thick oak trunks sported twisted effigies of faces with demonic eyes and gaping maws of sharp teeth everywhere they looked.

"To me! Stand together!"

The frightened fillies were all too happy to comply with the dark coated horse's booming command, huddling around her legs as they stared back at the tree line fearfully. With hooves set apart to better balance her weight, Midnight stared down the nearest monstrosity with the intent to counter once it attacked, only to look on as it did...precisely nothing? Surely there were unholy magics at work here with the glowing monstrous visages on the tree trunks and sense of foreboding in the air that had the hairs pricking up on coat, but that was all it was. The only threat was to the mind; no different than dozens of displays of intimidation she had seen used before by both sides during the war. Relaxing her tense stance at that revelation, the war charger attempted to get the idea across to the ponies clustered against her side. "Little ones, there is nothing to fear! Tis but an illusion, mere trickery!" Unfortunately they seemed too terrified to listen to reason, though it was then with the sound of childish laughter filling the air that Midnight noticed she was one filly short of a full herd.

Turning her head every which way, Midnight spotted the strange poofy maned pink pony stood several yards away; pulling faces and making odd noises at the possessed tree in front of which she stood. Apparently the fillies surrounding the armoured mare noticed too, seeing as the grip of terror loosened enough for them to take in Pinkie's antics with disbelief. "Pinkie, what are you doing?! Run!" Twilight's horror struck expression only elicited a soft giggle from said earth pony, who simply shot a smile back over her withers. "Oh girls, don't you see?" Seemingly from the ether around, soft upbeat music began to play; a bewildered Midnight attempting to find the source as Pinkie bobbed in time with the beat before suddenly breaking in to song. What followed stupefied the war charger; the dark forces responsible for the creepy faces poofing away in the face of filly's laughter, with the others joining in once they saw how effective it was.

Taking in to account her earlier demonstrations of chaotic impossibility, Midnight was beginning to suspect that the pink pony really was some sort of witch; though seeing the six fillies rolling around on the grass in helpless giggles as the last of the malevolent presence dissipated away stilled her hoof. The filly had gotten through to the herd when she herself could not, and since the unnatural pink pony was a loyal member of lady Sparkle's retinue then she likely had no ill intent; especially considering how childish she was. Still, the stories of devil worshipping crones spoken of by her former stable hands in hushed whispers on dark nights preyed on the mare's mind as the high spirited group picked themselves up and prepared to continue on. For now Midnight would reserve her judgement in respect of the filly's aid, but she was definitely going to keep a close eye on the currently bouncing and giggling Pinkie Pie

Said pony was now leading the way in her peculiar bounding way, allowing the rest of the herd to spread out a little as the density of the forest petered out in to rough scrub and overflowing thickets. Suddenly the party pony skidded to a halt; the fillies following close behind piling up at the unexpected hold up with muffled grunts. Being used to the rapid manoeuvres required by war horses on the battlefield, Midnight simply veered to one side and stood beside Pinkie as she stared at the frothing and churning waters ahead that neatly bisected the forest. "How are we gonna cross this?" None of the other equines present had an immediate answer, though their attention soon shifted at the sound of hysterics coming from further up river. Carefully pushing aside some bushes, the six ponies plus one war horse peaked through to see what was likely the cause of the hazardous rapids.

Thrashing beneath the broiling waves was perhaps the largest creature Midnight had ever seen. A large tail as broad as she was tall slammed in to the water repetitively, connected to a long and winding purple scaled serpentine body that rose and fell in coiled humps above and below the waterline for as far as the eye could see. At the opposite end, an equally serpentine neck rose up to support a pair of spindly arms that clutched a large distinctly reptilian head with a flowing mane of golden hair; mournful wails escaping from it's fang laden elongated snout. "Forsooth! Tis a dragon!" The war horse felt a pulse of fear shoot up her spine at the sight of the towering monstrosity before squashing it down in favour of righteous anger. "Flee children, I shall hold it off for as long as I am able!"

Fearing a repeat of the manticore incident, Twilight jumped in front of the armoured mare with hooves waving placatingly. "Midnight, please stop! He isn't hurting anypony, he's just crying! The black coated equine shot the much smaller unicorn an incredulous look as she tried to keep the potential threat in constant sight. "But lady Sparkle, the beast could strike any-" Whatever else she had to say was cut off by Twilight, whose violet eyes stared back at Midnight's own with imploration. "_He's_ a sea serpent, and he's obviously upset about something. Please, Midnight, you promised you wouldn't fight unless it was necessary. Let me just talk to him, okay?" As much as the scarred war horse wanted to drive off the towering creature, her honour bound vow stayed her hoof from charging forth. "I... As you command, lady Sparkle." With a weak smile and a murmured thank you, the studious unicorn trotted back to her other companions and the herd moved forward to converse with the restless sea serpent.

Despite Midnight's unease, the river dwelling creature proved to be less than a threat; especially seeing as it's primary concern was losing one half of his moustache to a 'tacky little cloud of purple smoke'. Applejack and Rainbow Dash didn't seem impressed, and neither was their armoured guardian. For a mare who had seen blood spilt upon dozens of battlefields and lives ended in some of the most horrific ways possible, missing facial hair was beyond insignificant. Rarity however felt entirely different about the whole affair; launching in to an over dramatic speech over the sea serpent's carefully managed appearance, culminating in the effeminate sounding creature bursting in to tears once she reiterated how his image was ruined without his precious moustache. "I simply can not let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!"

With that declaration, the glamorous unicorn leaned forth and tore off a scale from his hide much to everyone's astonishment. "Ahh! What did you do that for?!" Ignoring the pained outburst, Rarity kept the sharp looking purple scale clenched in her teeth as she raised it up and before anypony could protest, swept the makeshift blade down with a violent motion across her withers. The assembled ponies gasped in shock while the sea serpent fainted dramatically; leaving Midnight to stare with confusion at the severed tail lying on the ground a few yards away, even as the white coated mare spat out the scale and focussed her horn on the inert mass of coiffured hair. While the others watched with interest, the displaced war horse could only goggle at the sight before her very eyes as the stubby appendage on the unicorn's head lit up with a faint white glow, a similarly coloured shimmering mass of sparkles enveloping the purple tail and slowly levitating it off the ground to fuse with the stump of hair on the sea serpent's snout.

"Sorcery..."

Midnight's awed whisper contained a tremor of fear at the spectacle she had just witnessed. Magic had been spoken of by both commoners and nobles alike back on her home world, and never in a positive light. Such power was considered devilry; strongly associated with witchcraft and evil intent. That radiant glow had come from lady Rarity's horn, similar to that of lady Sparkle's... Did that mean that she too possessed such terrible power that could surely wreck havoc in the wrong hooves? Just what or who had she vowed to protect from harm? That said, the two ponies had done nought of nefarious intent thus far, and had only used their magical abilities to aid rather than cause harm; unlike the villainous Nightmare Moon who sought to bring about eternal night. Perhaps then such otherworldly power was neither evil nor benign; merely a tool to be wielded as the bearer saw fit. From what Midnight had witnessed thus far, lady Rarity and lady Sparkle were the complete opposite of the dark sorceress and had given her no reason not to trust them other than their undoubtedly powerful magic.

"Are ya alright there sugarcube, ya look a little...strange?"

Blinking back to reality, Midnight startled a little at Applejack's concerned face right in front of hers, but was internally relieved that it wasn't one of the horned ponies that preoccupied her current thoughts. "I-I am well fair Applejack, merely...concerned..." The farm pony followed the larger mare's gaze to the unicorns of their group and back with a raised brow. "What's the matter, ain't ya never seen magic before?" The dark coated war charger shook her head vehemently. "Nay, such unnatural power is unheard of from whence I hail; save for in dark rumours of foul deeds." Applejack adjusted her stetson with a frown before carefully wording her reply. "Midnight, trust me when ah say there ain't nothin' to be afraid of. We all got a little magic in us, even us earth ponies use it to help grow plants and make us stronger. Jus' because folks think magic is a bad thing where you're from, don't mean that it's the same here." Midnight honestly felt a little better for hearing the orange coated pony out, the knowledge that the closest analogue she had to a normal equine in this strange new land had access to even a sliver of that awe inspiring power calmed her nerves. At least now she knew that should the worst come to pass, the horned mages couldn't conquer the land without her close cousins putting up stiff resistance.

"My thanks for thy wise council, fair Applejack. I should not have judged thine companions motives so harshly when thou art the one who placed such trust in mine own." Applejack flashed the dark coated mare a genuine smile as a small chuckle escaped her lips. "Don't you worry none, partner. Now c'mon, lets get across while we still can." Enamoured with his repaired moustache, the flamboyant sea serpent had ceased his thrashing tantrum and the waters had calmed to small ripples that ran across the surface. By way of apology, the aquatic creature contorted its coiled body around to form a series of stepping stones for the ponies to leap across single file to the far bank. When it came to Midnight's turn however, she hesitated seeing as she was still wary of such a large being and because she doubted he could support her considerable weight. Instead the war horse opted to ford the river herself, managing to find a relatively shallow section that submerged most of her body up to the neck; the heavy armour weighing her down considerably when water pressure was added on top. On the plus side, once she had finally hauled herself up on to the far bank, a vast majority of the caked blood and encrusted dirt had been washed away by her impromptu bath and more importantly cleaned out her many wounds.

Waving goodbye to the much happier sea serpent, the group of equines continued on in to the depths of the Everfree forest once more. The further they went, the darker and more denser the vegetation became; forcing the ponies to advance single file behind their much larger escort as she used sheer brute force to carve a traversable path through the undergrowth. Much to Midnight's annoyance, the pink witch had somehow migrated to perch atop her saddle in a very human manner while bouncing in barely contained excitement. "Weeeee! Giddy up pony!" The black coated mare bit off the sharp rebuke before it could leave her lips, instead focussing on the task at hoof while stewing at the fact the unnatural pony was occupying the seat reserved only for her knight. The bristling annoyance did not go unnoticed by the others though, with Twilight opting to divert attention from the oblivious party pony and simultaneously sate some of her own curiosity.

"Midnight, can I ask you something?"

A rattle of armour preceded a pair of muddy amber eyes looking back at the purple unicorn with dried blood still coating her shaffron, causing an involuntary shudder to run down the shorter mare's spine. Friendly or not, that image still scared the tartarus out of her. "I shall answer what I can lady Sparkle, though my knowledge is somewhat limited and I have a few queries of my own." Twilight groaned aloud at the unnecessarily formal title that the bigger mare just insisted on using all the time. "A question for a question sounds fair, but _please_ just call me Twilight like everypony else. 'Lady Sparkle' just makes me feel uncomfortable." Before she could respond however, a chipper sounding Rarity broke in to the conversation. "Speak for yourself, darling. I think it's _wonderful_ that somepony _finally_ sees me as the vision of grace and beauty that I _truly_ am." While the glamorous white unicorn was posturing, Rainbow Dash decided to add her five bits from her position on the ground seeing as flying in such a cramped space was just asking for trouble. "Yeah, and I kinda like mine. 'Captain Dash; Wonderbolt extraordinaire'."

"Hoo boy…"

Applejack rolled her eyes in exasperation at the boisterous pegasus' antics while Twilight cleared her throat in annoyance. "As I was _saying_..." Regaining her composure, she continued. "I wanted to know a little more about you, and where you're from." Midnight inclined her head in affirmation but otherwise kept her eyes on their environment as she replied. "Very well...Twilight, What wouldst thy like to know?" A particular gleam lit up the studious unicorn's eyes; one that her number one assistant would find very familiar seeing as it usually proceeded either a binge research session or a new source of knowledge that would likely keep them both up all night. "Well first of all, where are you from? You said you were in a 'foreign land', so I assume you're not from Equestria originally." The armoured mare hummed in interest before replying. "Equestria is the name of this land then?" With Twilight's confirmation, she continued. "Very well then. As I have said afore, I hail from the province of Wiltshire in England; a nation surrounded by the sea. Twas there I was born and raised; toiling upon the land until the day I learned of my true calling."

"True calling?"

Midnight smiled wistfully at Dash's question. "To ride the fields of battle and rend England's foes asunder." Fluttershy gasped at the declaration, while Applejack sounded more than a little uncomfortable judging by the tone in her words. "Not sayin' we ain't plum grateful fer yer fightin' abilities sugarcube, but didn't ya like workin' on a farm?" The war charger shook her head at the farm filly's words. "Twas all I knew since birth. When I was chosen to serve as a noble's steed, a world I never knew was revealed to mine eyes. Since then, I hath not looked back... Though I miss it sometimes." Rarity gave the dark coated mare a puzzled look. "Darling, I'm a little confused. If you miss your old life, then why stay as you are? Why not go back?" Had any of the ponies been in front of the armoured mare, they would have seen a twinge of regret before she managed to school her features once more. "You misunderstand lady Rarity, the decision was not mine to make. I was taken from my home to be trained in the art of war; to serve at the fore of the greatest conflict of all time until victory, or...my own demise."

Understandably, the Equestrian mares were shocked; stunned speechless even. How could anypony do this to a mare? Without a choice, she was little better than a conscript at best, and a slave at worst; doomed to fight for the rest of her life. What kind of rulers did her country have where ponies could be plucked from their homes and forced to fight against their will? Surprisingly, it was a justifiably upset Pinkie who recovered first, reaching forward to hug the war charger's armour clad neck with a deflated mane and teary eyes. "What kind of meany pants could do that to a pony?!" Midnight sighed in exasperation at the overly emotional response. Was war such an alien concept to these children that they could not foresee the need for additional bodies to bolster the king's armies? "One who holds a far higher station than a commoner such as I. It is a noble's right to take what they will from those below them, so long as it is in the name of the crown's service."

With abject horror and fascination, Twilight fervently regretted not having a quill and scroll close to hoof before asking any questions; the scarred mare's answers providing a disturbing yet interesting insight in to how a foreign power worked. "Sorry to interrupt, but what did you mean by 'steed'? I've never come across the term before." Back in familiar territory, Midnight brightened up considerably. "It is what I am; a mount for a knight so that he may ride in to battle." Applejack wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Why in the hay would ya let another pony ride on yer back when ya fightin'? That don't make no sense." The black coated mare choked up for a moment at the mental image before bursting in to laughter. "Oh fair Applejack, truly thy jest! We war chargers carry upon our backs a knight of the realm; a human, not a...a _pony!_ No noble worth his salt would even _consider_ mounting a _pony_ for battle!"

"So, wait... If you're not some super sized pony, then what the heck are you?"

Midnight merely smiled at Rainbow Dash's question. "I...am a horse; equine like thy self, only…of far greater scale." Twilight listened with avid interest as the armoured mare tried to explain to the rest of the group about how a human knight and their equine partner would work in tandem on the battlefield almost as a single being. Almost like...a form of symbiosis, the studious unicorn realised with a glimmer in her eyes; a partnership between two varying individuals of different species whose differing strengths made up for the other's weaknesses, forming a whole that was far greater than the sum of its parts. She honestly wanted to know more; especially about this these 'humans'. But before she could ask, the scarred black coated mare had broken through the edge of the tree line and revealed their intended destination; the broken and decaying ruins of an old castle back lit by a high moon on the far side of a mist enshrouded gully.

"There it is! The ruins that hold the Elements of Harmony. We finally made it!"

* * *

**This seems like a good point to stop for now, with the inevitable confrontation coming up next chapter. On that note, I estimate there to be only one or two more chapters until this first arc is finished and the story moves forward in to more original territory. Unfortunately, once this arc is complete this story will go on temporary hold for two reasons. Firstly, I haven't planned anything beyond that point chapter wise other than some vague plot points and ideas. Secondly, I need to get started on the anticipated sequel to my Ratchet &amp; Clank story 'Time Heals All', which I honestly should have started drafting by now.**

**It is my sincere hope that I'll have the story three parts finished by April/May and ready to post; giving me time to continue this story and tinker with a few other ideas as well. Either way, I'll try and keep you all informed either through chapter notes or on my profile. Thank you for your understanding, and sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.**

**Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they****'****re posted and/or updated.**

**Thanks for reading**

**\- RevenantReaper337**


	6. Chapter 6: Of Might and Magic

**Authors note:**

**Well, I have good news and bad news everyone. The good news is that this chapter is around double the length of my previous chapters and finally ties up the Nightmare Moon arc of the story. This leads however to the bad news; for this will be my last chapter on this story for quite some time. I desperately need to start working on the sequel to my first completed Ratchet &amp; Clank story 'Time Heals All', and with a scheduled release time of around April/May of this year I simply don't have the time I need to write two stories simultaneously. But hey, at least I've wrapped up this arc conclusively rather than leave you all on a cliff hanger like I originally intended.**

**Review Replies:**

**randomguestkitty - Yep, you've guessed absolutely right. I do intend for Midnight and Luna to meet and interact either in the second or third arcs of the story, not sure yet. Though there may be some tension between the two, the common ground they share will eventually be the bond that leads to friendship seeing as they are both old fashioned equines living in a strange new world far removed from what they previously knew. **

**Disclaimer:**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Hasbro. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me.**

'_Thoughts__'_

_Flashbacks and inflections on words_

"Speech"

* * *

**Of Might and Magic**

"Come on girls, there's no time to lose!"

"Dangnabit Twilight, wait for us!" The purple unicorn paid Applejack no heed however, galloping onwards and leaving the rest of the herd to catch up. So focused was she on their goal that she didn't notice that the bridge spanning the gully separating them from the castle ruins was broken until she began pitching forwards over the cliff edge with a cry of fear. Fortunately Rainbow Dash was a lot quicker off the mark than anypony else; darting forth and managing to grab Twilight's tail in the nick of time before yanking her back off of the precipice. "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" The panting purple pony was far too busy trying to get her heart rate back down to normal to reply to Dash's wise crack, though that didn't stop an overprotective Midnight from dropping to her side. "Lady Sp- Twilight! Are you well?" Thankfully there was no damage done, but now they had a new problem.

"_Now_ what?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes at Pinkie's exaggerated sigh while waggling her wings. "_Duh_, I'm a _Pegasus!_" The party pony brightened up at the realisation while Midnight saluted with one foreleg across her chest in respect. good luck Captain, I shall maintain watch until your return." The cyan coated speedster gave an awkward imitation of the gesture in turn before setting about her task. "Uh...yeah, sure thing 'Night. Just you watch, I'll have that bridge up in ten seconds flat!" So saying the chromatic maned mare took off and dove in to the mist enshrouded gorge, grabbing the dangling ropes on the loose ends of the bridge and flying up to land on the opposite side. Just as she was about to tie the ropes off and secure the rickety structure however, a whispered voice on the wind caused her to whip round in surprise. Was that...somepony calling her name?

Back on the far side, the small herd of ponies and one war charger waited anxiously. "After all that boasting, I rather thought she'd at least _try_ to be punctual." Applejack shook her head at Rarity's statement, recognising the nervousness underneath. "Somethin' must be wrong. T'aint like the filly at all ta take so long." Fluttershy was beside herself with concern. "Oh no, I hope she's all right. Um, excuse me M-Midnight, but can you see anything on the other side?" The armoured mare used her height to her advantage as the clustered ponies looked on at her expectantly, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to better see through the rolling mist that had begun to cover the bridgehead. An equine shape that resembled a winged pony had to be the elusive Rainbow Dash, but who were the other three that had seemingly materialised from the ether? A brief clear patch allowed Midnight to glimpse a trio of dark uniformed ponies surrounding the good Captain, malicious intent likely if their limited expressions were anything to go by. Try to pour poison words in her ears would they? Not on this mare's watch.

Fortunately Twilight had caught on as well, a gasp of surprise leaving her short muzzle before she shouted across the gap as the fog rolled in once more to cut off their vision. "Oh no. Rainbow! Don't listen to them!" Drawing in a deep breath, Midnight thundered her own..._encouragement_ at the unknown pegasi. "VILE CURS! LYING FIENDS! LEAVE THE CAPTAIN IN PEACE, OR FEEL THE TASTE OF MINE STEEL!" There were several long seconds of silence before they could see the rope bridge go taut; a speeding Rainbow Dash flying down the length of the bridge a few heartbeats later with her wings dissipating the unnatural mist and landing before the cheering ponies. "See? What did I tell ya? I'd _never_ leave my friends hangin'." Stepping forth, the sole war horse of the group inclined her head to the returned pegasus and a look of respect in her eyes. "I see the battle went well Captain, thy drove off the enemy and appear no worse for wear." Preening at the praise, Dash could only grin as she took flight once more. "Yeah, I totally showed those guys not to mess with me! But, uh... Thanks, y'know, for helping anyway."

While the ponies slowly made their way across the rope bridge, their armoured escort realised that she had a new problem. Testing her weight on one of the wooden slats, Midnight saw the part rotted board snap almost instantly and fall in to the gully below; unsurprising considering she outweighed the much smaller equines by a landslide even without the steel plates adorning her considerable frame. "Midnight! Are you alright?" Muddy amber eyes flickered up to see Twilight and the others watching her from the far side with worry as she considered her options. She could stay here and guard against any exterior threats, but that was not the knight's way. She was meant for attack, not defence against an unseen foe; and the only way to achieve that was to continue moving forwards.

"Stand back children! I am coming across!"

The assembled ponies looked on with shock as the armoured mare turned away from the bridgehead to gain some distance for a run up. "Are you crazy?! There's no way the bridge'll take your weight!" Midnight turned around at the edge of the tree line with determination set on her features. "Which is why I shall not be taking the bridge, Captain." Rarity gasped in horrified realisation. "Darling, you can't possibly be thinking of jumping across! You'll never make it!" The scarred veteran pawed at the still wet ground as she psyched herself up, muscles coiled and ready to spring on a hair trigger even as Twilight made a last ditch bid to prevent the mad mare from doing something suicidal. "Midnight, you don't have to do this! Please, just stay there!" Midnight flared her nostrils aggressively and at some unseen signal charged forth at blistering speeds for such a bulky equine. Thundering hooves ate up the ground in seconds, tearing clods of grass and mud up in spades as she raced for the edge of the cliff and used the momentum to leap forth with a triumphant whinny.

Everypony present could only gawp at the sight of nigh 1400 pounds of muscle, sinew, and steel plating soaring across the wide gap to land heavily on their side with earth shaking force; skidding to a halt several yards away before turning back around to face the stunned group with her head held high. "I vowed upon my honour to protect thee little ones; a solemn duty which no mere chasm shall keep me from fulfilling." The resulting silence was broken by Applejack's whistle of appreciation. "Boy howdy, I ain't never seen anypony jump that far before." Pinkie's baby blue eyes lit up as her head rapidly darted between Midnight and the leap of faith she had taken across the gully. "Ooh! Ooh! Can you do that again? Can I ride along next time?!" Feeling a headache coming along, Twilight massaged her temples with a hoof before turning tail and heading for the overgrown ruins just behind them. "Ugh, let's...just get inside and find the Elements before anything else goes wrong."

The towering archway was one of the few structures on the front of the castle still miraculously intact, including the tall part rotted oaken doors that creaked open ominously at the push of their hooves. Since a good portion of the ceiling was missing, the pale moon illuminated the interior to reveal musty flagstone floors and what were once stained glass windows now shattered by the ravages of time. In the centre of the entrance hallway however was a huge multi tiered plinth overgrown with moss, with slender arms extending out to hold several ornately carved stones that instantly drew everpony's attention. "Whoa... Come on Twilight, Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?" Midnight couldn't help but agree with Applejack's sentiment; with the holy relics within grasp there was truly no time to spare if they wished to stop the dark sorceress.

With Twilight fretting over their condition, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash gently hovered in place to grasp the artefacts from their high pedestals and bring them back down to the time weathered floor. Once the stones had been arranged in to a loose circle however, another problem became apparent. "One, two, three, four... There's only five!" Midnight looked between the worried ponies with more than a hint of confusion. "Only five? Were there to be more?" Not taking her eyes off of the inert stones, Twilight lowered herself down to the floor with a frown of concentration on her brow. "The book said; 'When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed'." Applejack scowled in annoyance at the nonsense riddle. "What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" The studious unicorn spared the cow pony a glance before turning back to the reason for their perilous journey so far. "I'm not sure...but I have an idea. Stand back; I don't know what will happen."

The present company dutifully backed off a few paces to give Twilight space to work, with Applejack leading the herd back outside so as not to disturb her. Midnight however elected to stay put where she was despite the farm filly's insistence. No; if lady Sparkle were to be reviving these ancient relics with her mage's power then she would need protection against their foe as she performed the ritual, lest she be struck down unwary. The war charger watched with fascination as the purple coated pony screwed her eyes shut with concentration and took deep breaths; her horn alight with the now familiar glow of magic as she attempted to channel it in to the dead stones before her. A sudden flicker of movement caught Midnight's eye, her head swivelling to see a viscous bluish purple mist flowing through the air past the young noble filly; the hairs prickling up on her coat as it condensed in to a spinning vortex that sucked the stones in.

"Twilight!"

Gasping, the purple coated pony's eyes snapped open to see the precious artefacts rising higher and faster in to the air as the magical whirlwind gained momentum; the tingling sensation on her coat indicative of an imminent teleport spell. "No! The Elements!" Not even considering the consequences, Twilight sprang to her hooves and dove straight in to the centre of the condensing storm; her loyal armoured protector a split second behind. The remainder of the group came galloping back in to the hall calling out for their two absent companions only to find it entirely empty of life. While the others searched frantically around while talking over each other, Rarity's attention was drawn to one of the cracked window frames. "Look!" Near the centre of the castle ruins stood a thin spire that towered over the rest of the crumbling structure, blinding white light blazing from it's windows like powerful strobes. "Come on, let's go!" Applejack took the lead as the five rushed off through the castle ruins to help save their missing friends, each praying that they wouldn't be too late.

{()}

"Oof!"

Twilight fell flat on her barrel with her limbs outstretched, the dissipating bluish purple smoke and sudden impact with the flagstone floor leaving her coughing and momentarily disorientated as she tried to get her bearings. A low dark chuckling reverberated through out the room before gradually shifting in to malicious laughter; the studious purple pony gasping with eyes wide as she looked up to see the source on the opposite side of the room. The full moon cast a pale glow through the wall length shattered window, the instigator of tonight's terrible events highlighted as she stood imperiously atop a raised dais where once a throne may have sat. With ceremonial armour worn over the top of a coat that seemed to be the sheer absence of colour was the dark alicorn herself, ethereal mane and tail a blanket of stars that wavered on an invisible breeze while the five Elements levitated around her in her telekinetic grasp.

"Nightmare Moon..."

The lunar obsessed antithesis of Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes at the much smaller pony, slitted pupils boring in to the interloper as a twisted smile graced her lips. "Well, well... It seems I have a guest. Come to bear witness to my triumph, have you?" Heart thumping in her chest, Twilight could only stare back at the dark goddess in horror, for without the Elements to hoof any chance of saving Equestria from eternal darkness would be lost. She thought about her home, her family, and the mares that had been crazy enough to get themselves involved in this mess yet still stuck by her side. Terrifying as the prospect was, if there was to be a future then there was only one course of action left available to her. Eyes narrowed in determination, Twilight pawed at the cold flagstones with nostrils flared, psyching herself up for what would no doubt be her only shot at defeating Nightmare Moon.

The dark alicorn rolled her eyes mockingly at the display, faux amusement evident in every syllable. "You're kidding. You're kidding, right? Do you _honestly_ believe an _insignificant_ little unicorn such as yourself has _any_ chance against the ruler of the night?" The sound of clattering armour plates rubbing against each other interrupted any further exchanges, heavy hoof steps echoing on the stone floors as Midnight rose from the floor where she had been recovering from her first experience with teleportation to stand beside the scholar she had sworn to protect. "Then perhaps I will prove to be a worthier challenge, _maleficar._" Seeing the battle scarred veteran beside her gave Twilight a much needed confidence boost, relief colouring her features at the thought of not having to do this alone. "Midnight...am I glad to see you." The armoured mare nodded cordially. "As am I to see thou art none the worse for wear, my lady" Nightmare Moon however appraised the heavily armoured newcomer with a sense of indifference. "And just who are _you_ supposed to be?"

Midnight returned her attention to the malevolent alicorn with a penetrating glare, eyes burning with unadulterated fury. "I am Midnight of the knights errant under his Royal Highness Prince Edward the third; guardian of lady Sparkle's retinue, and by Epona's grace, the sword of righteousness that shall strike thee down, demon!" Mocking laughter was her answer as the dark alicorn looked down her muzzle at the pair from her raised position. "Oh this is _too much_; an overgrown _earth pony_ thinks she can take on a _goddess!_" While the villainous mare continued to monologue while posturing grandly, Midnight turned her attention to the distinctly edgy looking unicorn by her side. "Be calm, Twilight. This is not thy battle to fight." Lavender eyes narrowed at the much taller black coated in disbelief. "'Not my fight'? But Nightmare Moon has the Elements! We need to get them back if we want to have any hope of defeating her!"

The war horse shook her head with a sad smile. "Not 'we', my lady, for only thee may bring forth the power of these holy relics. I shall engage the demon directly, to better serve as a distraction." Twilight gasped in horrified realisation "But...she's an _alicorn!_ Her magic is too powerful, even _if_ you were warded against offensive spells! I know you're strong, but what could you hope to do against her?" Midnight grimaced in sheer bloody minded determination, placing her bulk in front of the purple pony to better shield her charge as she settled in to an aggressive stance. "I hold no illusions as to my chances of victory. But for as long as mine body still draws breath, I shall continue to fight. Now come, let us purge this evil from the land with thy divine light." Apparently Nightmare Moon had finished her speech, since she was now glaring down on the two once again with her ebony wings flared. "Enough of this foolishness! Remember this day sun lovers, for it shall be your last!" Midnight snarled in response, nostrils flaring aggressively as her muscles coiled in preparation to strike. "For once we agree, maleficar; except that it is _thy_ wretched self that shall not survive this encounter. HAVE AT THEE!"

The war horse and alicorn pushed off almost simultaneously; both galloping straight at their respective opponent with long legs rapidly closing the gap. As planned, Twilight kept just behind her significantly larger equine shield; horn already glowing with a build up of magical power before the two black coated equines clashed in the centre of the tower and she disappeared in a flash of light. Alicorn's are unique among the residents of Equestria in that they possess the inherent abilities of all three pony tribes; the pegasi's gift of flight, the unicorn's magical prowess, and the earth pony's enhanced physical strength. While this gave the deity level equine an unrivalled advantage against most creatures in a straight up fight, it did not account for the combination of hulking muscle, heavy armour, and righteous fury that was a veteran war horse not of this world.

And so it was that rather than flattening the insolent overgrown pony with her magically enhanced strength, Nightmare Moon instead found herself unpleasantly surprised at being caught in a deadlock as her broad framed opponent began to slowly force her backwards with metal horseshoes throwing up sparks from the friction. Though momentarily stunned, the dark alicorn quickly recovered her wits thanks to her shield taking the brunt of the assault; a quick stun blast from her horn buying the necessary time to take flight and regain the initiative in what should have been a quick humiliation for the self professed knight. Clearly this opponent was not to be underestimated like those inept royal guards she had easily trounced when she had crashed Celestia's precious celebration earlier that night.

Shaking her head clear of the bleariness that graced her vision, Midnight spun on her axis only to take another magical missile to her side; this one powerful enough to stagger the mare as even more rained down from above. Drawing her attention to the direction of attack, the equine knight spied her foe hovering near the ceiling with raven wings keeping the dark alicorn aloft while she let loose a steady barrage of ranged blasts from her advantageous position. "You're tougher than I thought, but still no match for one who can both fly _and_ cast magic! So what are you going to do now, hmm? You can't dodge forever!" True though that was, Midnight had already spotted a way to even the odds. Jumping aside another blast of bluish purple magic that scorched the very flagstones beneath her hooves, Midnight dashed across the chamber to what was once a marble pillar of exquisite quality. Now though it was covered in creeping vines and weakened by more than a millennium of neglect, and more importantly just what she needed to bring this fight back down to earth.

Skidding to a halt behind the thick and crumbling pillar, Midnight reared up on her hind legs and forced as much of her weight as possible in to one almighty shove. The marble column cracked under the sudden violent impact, splintering along its base and sending the entire structure crashing down on the space where Nightmare Moon would have still been hovering had it not been for a last second teleport. "Insolent wretch! You'll pay for that!" The ground based armoured equine substituted words for action, charging the mare in the moon's position only to slam in to another pillar as she teleported away again with a mocking laugh. The pattern continued twice more with Nightmare Moon blinking out of the way to another part of the room while her opponent achieved little more than denting her armour and accumulating a few new bruises with each impact bought on by near misses.

The dark alicorn had gotten lazy in her arrogance however, and it didn't take long for Midnight to predict the pattern of teleportation and be in place to intercept her with a vicious double buck to the face. With a cry of anguished pain, Nightmare Moon careened across the chamber to slam in to a still intact pillar with enough force to shatter her still active shield entirely; the passive spell likely the only reason why she was able to stagger to her hooves at all, let alone still fight after such a bone shattering impact. "Thou art powerful maleficar, but far from the goddess thy claim to be. Surrender now or perish by mine hooves." The dark alicorn growled like a rabid dog at the insinuation. "You..._dare!_ YOU DARE INSULT MY LEGACY?!" Whatever else she said was lost in an entirely incoherent scream of rage as Nightmare Moon pushed off of the broken column and launched herself at the wretched interloper that had now dropped in to a defensive stance; her horn alight with dark sorcery as the battle renewed once more.

{()}

"Come on, _come on!_ Just one spark..."

While the titanic equines tore in to each other with wild abandon, Twilight Sparkle had long since completed her teleport and was now making use of Midnight's diversion to desperately try to bring the inert Elements to life from where they had been abandoned in Nightmare Moon's race to fight head on. So far it had been for nought though; no matter how much magic she channelled in to the five stones, all she got was a few weak surges of static before they fizzled out. Why?! Why weren't they working?! Midnight, crazy mare that she was, had put her life on the line to buy the frantic unicorn the precious time she needed and she was _failing!_ The cacophony of battle continued to grow until a triumphant cry distracted the studious purple pony from her vital task. "I have you now, vile fiend! Now lady Sparkle, do what must be done!" Midnight had somehow ended up physically grappling with the dark alicorn and now had her trapped beneath her considerable weight while her opponent thrashed irritably.

Of course the war horse's less than subtle declaration caught the mare in the moon's attention, and it took less than a second for her to realise she had been tricked. "Get _off_ of me, you insolent fool!" A blast of dark magic propelled the armoured equine holding her down in to the air, launching her halfway across the room before the alicorn changed in to an ethereal mist and blinked back to the podium where Twilight still feverishly worked. Said purple pony was also sent careening away by a similar bolt of condensed magic, even as the inert stones began to flicker with power; a chain lightning effect linking the five and emitting a faint glow that grew briefly...then died entirely. Pushing herself upright, Twilight could only gasp at the sight with plummeting hope. "But...I don't understand! Where's the sixth Element?!"

Laughing gleefully at her impending triumph, Nightmare Moon reared up on her hind legs before slamming back down with a localised magical shockwave that shattered the ancient stones in to splintered fragments; the heart wrenching look on the face of her arch enemy's student simply the icing on the proverbial cake to her final triumph. "Silly little foal! Thinking you could defeat _me?_ Such a _shame_, you and the overgrown earth pony almost had me going for a while there, but now you are all _finished!_ Never again will you see your princess or your _precious_ sun, for the _night…_will last…_forever!_" Maniacal cackling filled the chamber and Twilight couldn't help but feel a little piece of her die. She had failed to resurrect the Elements, and without them Equestria was surely doomed. A scraping sound announced an exhausted and heavily wounded Midnight dragging herself along the ground towards the broken unicorn, blood flowing freely from multiple lacerations through her now torn and bent armour.

"Have courage young Twilight, we are not yet finished." The crestfallen unicorn could only look down at the cold flagstone floor in defeat, her voice barely a whisper. "The Elements are gone...there's nothing else I can do." A cracked hoof forced her to look up at a pair of fierce muddy amber eyes inches from her own; an unquenchable fire of determination burning within. "Just because the relics are no more, does not mean that we can no longer fight. So long as blood still flows within my veins, I shall continue to do battle; until victory, or death's embrace. The fate of many rests upon our actions this day; our lives inconsequential if it means but a sliver of hope in slaying the demon." The sound of voices drifted up from the stair well from the doorframe behind them, a familiar blend of feminine tones that caused a small smile of relief to form on Midnight's muzzle. "Hark Twilight, thy friends come to our aid even now. So long as we all stand united as comrades in arms, we shall not falter." The right words at the right time can mean a lot in the right circumstances, and to Twilight the injured war horse's words had struck a chord that had gears turning in her highly analytical mind.

_"Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her..."_

_"What ah'm sayin to ya is the honest truth..."_

_"There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known..."_

_"My thanks to you kind Fluttershy, you need not have aided me when it was I that caused you grief."_

_"...'when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed'."_

_"Learn to face your fears~ You'll see they can't hurt you~ Just laugh to make them disappear~"_

_"My dear Twilight... Make some friends..."_

_"Short tails are in this season. Besides, it'll grow back."_

_"United...we shall not falter."_

_"See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'."_

_'That's it!'_

Twilight gasped in realisation as Applejack came bolting in to the room just in front of the other ponies who had stuck by her side throughout their perilous journey in to the Everfree, confidence filling out her features as she rose to her hooves with renewed determination. "You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're _wrong_; because the _spirits_ of the Elements are right here!" Midnight could only watch in amazement as the stone shards began to vibrate around a startled Nightmare Moon before swirling forth as Twilight continued to speak aloud. "_Applejack_, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... _Honesty!_" The farm pony started in surprise as a cluster of shards began to orbit around her with a shimmering glow, but quickly stilled while the purple unicorn moved swiftly on.

While the studious mare regaled the valorous conduct of the other ponies, Midnight forced her aching body off of the floor to stand once more. Fate had tipped the scales once again, and the foul maleficar was unlikely to go quietly in the face of such an undoubtedly powerful weapon. In fact, the dark alicorn was becoming increasingly agitated by the second as more and more shards took flight to hover around each of the ponies despite her attempts at lashing out with her magic. "The spirits of these five ponies, and our unexpected guardian, got us through every challenge you threw at us." Nightmare Moon snorted contemptuously, but it was obvious to all that her composure was beginning to slip even without the hint of desperation in her voice. "But you don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"

Midnight's focus drifted from Twilight's reaction in favour of keeping watch upon the demonic being; for the prospect of certain death drives most creatures to the brink of desperation in order to survive, and the tell tale glow of dark magic condensing on her horn was exactly what the war horse feared would come to pass. She didn't think, merely reacted. As the shards condensed in to a pentet of jewelled necklaces and a newly revealed crown, Nightmare Moon released a pent up beam of magical force large enough to engulf a pony whole straight at her hated enemy's precious student; only for the armoured mare she had bitterly fought to fling herself in to it's path. Screams of pain were muted by the magical rainbow light that swept forth in a tide from the six now glowing and levitating ponies; the war horse finding herself unceremoniously tossed to the other side of the room and smashing in to one of the few still standing pillars before slumping lifelessly to the floor.

Before the darkness claimed her once more however, her rapidly dimming vision made out a blinding light through one of the windows that faded in to a most wondrous sight. Standing regal and proud with a pure white coat was a horse with angels wings flared and a fluted horn upon her head; an ethereal mane and tail comprised of pinks, blues, and nautic greens flowing in an invisible breeze combined to exude a godly aura that was surely not meant for mortal eyes. Tired eyes closed, too heavy to stay open any more; a small smile playing on her bloody muzzle at the holy vision she had been granted in what would likely prove to be her last moments once again.

"Epona...thy hath come for me..."

{()}

"Ugh, my head..."

Twilight couldn't help but agree with Dash's sentiment considering how sluggish she felt and the throbbing pain in her skull that seemed to be gradually receding. The six ponies gradually began to stir from where they lay sprawled on the flagstone floor; checking themselves over and wondering over the jewelled necklaces and in one case crown that they now possessed, though Rarity seemed more enamoured with her magically regrown tail. It was then that a regal yet motherly voice interrupted their excited conversation, the sun finally climbing over the horizon to take it's rightful place in the sky and with it came Equestria's missing ruler; Princess Celestia. Though the rest of the ponies bowed in respect, Twilight was far too relieved to see her teacher again and leapt forth in to her warm embrace.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it." Stepping back to face her mentor, Twilight's face fell a little as confusion entered her tone. "But...you told me it was all just an old pony tale." The alicorn of the sun chuckled good naturedly. "I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and knew it was _you_ that had the magic inside to defeat her; a power you could not unleash until you let true friendship in to your heart." The studious unicorn smiled back at the Princess' words, though a small niggle in the back of her mind prompted her response. "Thank you your highness, but if it wasn't for Midnight I don't know if any of us would have made it this far." Celestia raised a delicate brow in question. "Oh? And who is this Midnight you are referring to? I assume they are not one of the new Element bearers?" Twilight turned around with her hoof poised to point out their over sized friend when she realised one very important thing; the normally very vocal mare was missing.

"Has anypony seen Midnight?"

A chorus of negatives was her answer; however it took but a few seconds to make out the slumped lifeless equine lying in a pool of her own blood in the newly lit room. "Oh no... No! No! No! Midnight!" The purple unicorn rushed over to the still black coated body with everypony else just behind, tears of shock and disbelief in the ponies eyes at the state of their imposing armoured guardian. Celestia's face twisted in to an uncharacteristic grimace as her experienced eyes took in the extensive injuries on what was probably the biggest earth pony she had ever laid eyes on. Aside from the multiple instances of rent scar tissue and lacerations, the main concern was the hoof ball sized crater seared trough the mare's centre mass; the armour plates actually warped and melted in to the quasi cauterised wound no doubt caused by a high powered beam attack. Miraculously, she was still alive if barely; the thick armour likely the only reason she still clung to life at all.

The ruler of Equestria had originally planned to reconcile with her long missed sister and reassure her ponies that all was well, but this horrific casualty was far more important; especially if this pony was indeed as integral to her student's success as she had implied. "Stay close my little ponies, your friend is gravely injured and needs medical attention immediately. Luna?" The assembled ponies gasped as they saw who the alicorn of the sun was now looking at. Sitting up in the shattered remnants of Nightmare Moon's armour was another alicorn, only significantly shorter than Celestia's lithe frame; distinguished by a midnight blue coat, dark blue mane and tail along with an appropriately scaled set of dark coloured counterpart regalia to Celestia's. Upon hearing her name, the restored alicorn of the night shrank back on her haunches with a shiver of fright, eyes warily darting between the room's occupants before widening upon settling on Midnight's prone form.

"Oh no... I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to-"

Celestia pulled her sniffling sister close with a touch of telekinesis before nuzzling her gently. "Hush now dear sister, it's going to be alright. We have so much to catch up on now that we are together again, but right now there is a pony here in dire need of our help." With everypony bunched closely together, the sun alicorn channelled pure magic in to her horn and with a flash of golden tinted light the entire group vanished from the desecrated throne room; leaving another battlefield empty of all but blood, armour fragments, and the destructive signs of conflict seared in to the very walls themselves.

{()}

The receptionist at Ponyville general hospital was startled by the sudden flash of blinding light in the front lobby, needing several seconds to blink the spots out of her eyes and take in the entourage of ponies who had just teleported in with the sovereign ruler of Equestria. It was a small miracle she didn't fall off her chair as she scrambled to supplicate herself before the alicorn of the sun. "Y-your Highness, what an unexpected visit! How can I-" The surprisingly grim faced ruler cut the mare off with a raised hoof as she gestured to a limp black coated pony laid beside her where another alicorn - to her mounting surprise - was fretting over them. "I apologise for being short, but this mare is gravely wounded and in need of immediate medical attention." The receptionist couldn't help but think that to be an understatement considering the state of the hulking mare, especially since a crimson pool was now slowly spreading over the polished floors around her body.

"I need a trauma team to the reception desk immediately! Priority one case! Somepony prep the ER and get Doctor Stable up here, stat!"

The medical ponies responded in prompt fashion to the harried receptionist's orders over the PA system, arriving less than half a minute later with a gurney that would barely take Midnight's bulky frame without a little magical manipulation. Several of the easier to remove armour pieces had to be removed in order to make the mare light enough to move at all, taking the combined efforts of several unicorns to lift the exceptionally heavy metal plates and drop them off to one side. Finally mobile, the combined team of medical orderlies, doctors, and nurses wheeled the unconscious war horse through a set of double doors and away from the six worried ponies and two alicorns left behind.

"Nighty's gonna be alright, isn't she?" A sad and straight maned Pinkie asked the room in general, to which the ruler of the sun shook her head gently. "I do not know young Pinkie Pie, but your friend is in good hooves now. If anypony can help her recover, it is the well trained medical staff here." Turning her attention to a downcast Twilight, the alicorn continued. "That being said, I would like to know where you met such an exceptionally large mare." The studious unicorn shook her head. "It's...kind of a long story, your highness." Princess Celestia shrugged, making sure that she kept the distinctly nervous Luna close by. "Time is something we appear to have a lot of, my dear student. Perhaps you could start from when you first met?" And so while everypony prayed that the equine knight would survive and recover, Twilight recounted the events of the evening leading up to their reunion.

"Well, I guess it began after we fell down a collapsing cliffside shortly after entering the Everfree..."

* * *

**So this is the end of the first arc, and the story for now. As I previously said, I will continue eventually but not for a while yet. I do have a few rough ideas for how the next arc will pan out, but if anyone has any ideas they would like to see in future chapters then feel free to let me know via PM, review, or E-mail. Thank you all for reading so far, and I hope to (metaphorically) see you all when I begin posting updates again.**

**Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they****'****re posted and/or updated.**

**Thanks for reading**

**\- RevenantReaper337**


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